Kienlesberg Bridge in Ulm, Germany - The structural conception of a steel landmark in the context of a design tradition

Kienlesberg Bridge is the new link for trams, pedestrians and cyclists between the inner city and the science centre in the north-west of Ulm. The bridge crosses a railway junction near the main station and a new high-speed rail link. The geometric boundary conditions lead to unequal spans and complex alignments. Therefore, the scheme that won the design competition, which is now under construction, proposed a bridge made of steel. The superstructure was designed as a semi-integral continuous beam with main girders of varying depth. Owing to the pedestrian and cyclists' path on one side, the orthotropic plate cross-section is asymmetric and the main girders have varying depths. Special calculations and details were necessary for dynamic and noise control reasons. The bridge is being built using incremental launching.