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Technical tour: Over seven bridges you should go Rhine and Main bridges

1. Railway Bridge Hochheim, 1904 We are starting the tour at the Railway bridge at Hochheim. The bridge is erected in 1904 by four bowstring girders (57,40m - 81,00m - 81,00m - 57,40m). The so called “Harkort-Bogen-Zugband-Träger” was for about 15 year the standard bridge system in Prussia. The first bridge was finished in 1899 spanning the river Mosel at Traben-Trabach. The most famous one is the Hohenzollern Bridge close to the cathedral of Cologne, 1911, with a maximum span auf 167,75 m.

2. Main Bridge at Mainz-Kostheim, 1889

Main Bridge Hochheim

Rhine Bridge Weisenau-Süd

Main Bridge Mainz-Kostheim

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An interesting history included this unimpressive steel truss bridge erected after WW II. The tender of the first bridge was won by the contractor Benckiser The first bridge were three iron three hingend arch with a tieback, each of one with a span of 60,20m. The bridge was damaged in 1945 and temporary reerected in 1946/1947. the now existing permanent bridge was built in two steps. The last arch vanished in 1955, but still some construction elements are part of the bridge.

2. Heinrich Gerbers (1832-1812) office and bridge plant “Maschinenfabrik Cramer Klett” (1860) , later “Süddeutsche Brückenbau A.G. (1873) and at last “M.A.N. Mainz-Gustavsburg” (1885)

Next to the Main bridge Hochheim we find the first office of Heinrich Gerber at Mainz-Gustavsburg. With the erection of the first railway bridge at Weisenau-Süd the success of M.A.N. Brückenanstalt (bridge plant of M.A.N.) started. From 1885 on next chief executive of M.A.N. Mainz-Gustavsburg, Anton Rieppel (1852-1926), lead M.A.N. to the Europe’s greatest bridge iron company.

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3. Railway bridge Weisenau-Süd, 1862 – 1912 - 1949 The railway bridge Weisenau-Süd was the first permanent crossing over the river Rhine after 1000 years at Mainz. Gerbers bridge was a fishbelled, “Pauli”- girder spanning the river Rhine by four girders each with a span of about 105m. Due to heavy increasing live loads the superstructure was replaced in 1912. German troops blow up this second superstructure in 1945. A military emergency bridge existed between 1945 and 1949. The now existing superstructure based on a temporary German military steel bridge system called “SKR (Schaper-Krupp-Reichsbahn) Bridge”. The substructure is still originally.

Next to Gerbers employment we discovered and visit at “Hörmann automotive” the last girder of the first superstructure of the approach bridge.

Afterwards we will capture the bridge by foot and pass the river Rhine using the sidewalk of the bridge. Next right to the tower of the bridge at the banks of Mainz we reach the “Winterhafen” (marina). Now it is time for a break at the “Ruder-Verein” (row club).

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4. Movable bridge at the “Winterhafen”, 1877 At the end of the marina we are able to inspect a fine little movable bridge, which was unfortunately replaced in 2009. Here is a picture of the old bridge:

5. Theodor Heuss Rhine bridge, 1885

Just at the same place 2000 year ago the Romans built a permanent bridge with a wooden superstructure. The Roman bridge existed for about three hundert years. Charles the Great try it again but he failed. His wooden bridge burned down.

The now existing bridge might be one of the most beautiful Rhine bridges. The road and tramway bridge was opened to traffic in 1885. The engineers of the contractor Benckiser are spanning the Rhine by five iron, two hinged trussed arches with rising spans (87,12m – 98,96m - 102,97m – 98,96m – 87,12m) by a ratio of slenderness of about 1:11. The curved bridge deck is situated on top of the arches and covered the bridge by one great arch. This might be an idea of the famous architecture Friedrich von Thiersch, consulting the engineers of Benckiser.

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In 1931/1934 and in 1992/1995 the bridge was renovated. First the bridge deck was broaden in 1931/1934 and 1992/1995 the bridge deck will renewed by a light orthotropic deck and some arches was replaced. Like all Rhine bridges in 1945 the bridge was damaged by German troops. 6. Rhine bridge Wiesbaden-Schierstein existing bridge, 1962, and new bridge (under construction) Attached you find a separate paper of the IABSE Conference Madrid 2015 with a lot of details of the old and new bridge. The existing bridge is opened to traffic in 1962 and is designed by Hellmut Homberg:

7. Schierstein Harbour Bridge, 1964

At his centennial company anniversary in 1964 the famous German contractor Dyckerhoff & Widmann donate a lightweight prestessed concrete bridge to the council of the city of Wiesbaden. The bridge is one of the first lightweight concrete bridge in the world. Dyckerhoff & Widmann shared the fate of a lot of German building companies and never exist any more.