Bridges in Styria: millions of security and preservation!

Bridges in Styria: millions of security and preservation!

Frohnleiten, Österreich - A dramatic incident occurred on February 21, 2015, when the Murbrücke broke in Frohnleiten, Styria. The reason for the collapse was an overload of the apprenticeship, which supported the 800 -ton bridge. Fortunately, there was no personal injury, but the incident resulted in a lengthy legal process, as orf.at . In Styria there are a total of 1,346 motorway bridges, the average of which is 40 years and that are regularly examined to be checked except for the smallest cracks. Christian Honeger from ASFINAG emphasized the importance of preventive renovations: "We renovate before substantial damage occurs." These measures are essential for the safety and sustainable use of the bridges.

bridge modernization in Germany

In Germany, the motorway bridges are also under pressure. According to information from the BMDV, around 8,000 motorway bridges must be repaired or modernized in the coming years in order to meet the increasing traffic requirements. The condition of many bridges has been affected by the intensive use and increase in heavy traffic in recent decades. The BMDV therefore has an extensive modernization program that aims at the sustainable preservation of the infrastructure. A total of 4,000 heavily loaded bridges are to be modernized within a decade, to ensure traffic safety and the fulfillment of current standards, such as bmdv.bund.de

In addition, the BMDV invests around 5 billion euros annually in the maintenance of the federal highways, whereby 2.1 billion euros are specially provided for the bridges. These investments are not only crucial for the preservation of the bridges, they also contribute to creating an attractive job description for civil engineers and technicians. A prioritization of the measures ensures that the most urgent projects are first addressed, while the latest technologies are used to check the bridge status in order to optimize the safety and efficiency of the traffic routes.