Dillinger steel for the Kienlesberg Bridge in Ulm

Dillinger steel is once again playing a key “supporting role” as the Kienlesberg Bridge in Ulm prepares to officially open to traffic next Sunday, 9 December 2018, after a full three years of construction. The elegantly curved bridge contains 1,750 metric tons of Dillinger heavy plate. At its christening in September, the principle builder, Stadtwerke-Ulm-Traffic Managing Director André Dillmann, described the bridge as potential competition for the Ulm cathedral.

The 270-meter-long white bridge for tram, pedestrian and bicycle traffic is an essential component of the extension of the Ulm tramway. It crosses above the heavily frequented tracks of Ulm’s main railway station and thus connects the city center of Ulm with the Science City located to the northwest. Special attention was paid to making the bridge enjoyable for pedestrians and cyclists. For example, seating is integrated into the niches of the truss of the main girder. The bridge offers an impressive view of the railway area and beyond to the old town, with the Ulm cathedral as another eye-catching sight.

The bridge caused significant headaches during its planning and implementation phase due to its urban setting. The planners faced both historical and geographical challenges here: The architecture of the new bridge needed to harmonize with the buildings in its immediate surroundings, especially with the Neutor Bridge, a listed monument built in 1907. The planners also struggled with extremely restricted space conditions. The construction time budget presented an additional challenge since the bridge had to be built while the railways continued to operate.

The solution: steel. The material enabled the use of a “feed” solution in which the bridge support was preassembled in individual segments, which were then moved piece by piece into their final positions using the “incremental launch” method. As a result, the Ulm Kienlesberg Bridge consists of around 60 individual elements. Most of the steel for the bridge came from Saarland. Dillinger supplied 1,750 metric tons of heavy plate for the bridge in widths of up to 4.80 meters.

The demanding construction project will be completed on Sunday: Official traffic over the bridge will be launched with the start of operation of tram line 2, and pedestrians and cyclists will also be able to use the bridge.