Motorway A 46, Nuttlar valley bridge

Size matters!

connecting people

We are fans, we admit it, but let’s talk about the facts first: the Nuttlar Viaduct spans the Schleborn River valley and crosses several forestry and maintenance roads and road L776. The viaduct was built as part of the new section of the A46 federal motorway, which extends from the Bestwig–Velmede to the Nuttlar junction. This new construction is an efficient and safe transport connection for the economic regions of the eastern Ruhr district and the Upper Ruhr Valley.

paving the way

What a structure! 660 m long, 115 m high, the Nuttlar Viaduct crosses, no, flies over the deep valley with its breathtakingly steep walls. The structure can be seen clearly from the opposite side, south of the Ruhr River, and so we needed to get its look just right: balanced proportions between span length, viaduct height and topography. With its box girder cross section supported on six pylons, the structure seems to levitate over the valley below. The steel–concrete composite bridge was erected with the incremental launching method without requiring any temporary supports or pylons. Subsequently, the bridge deck was concreted in sections.

creating construction culture

A new record: the Nuttlar Viaduct is North Rhine–Westphalia’s highest viaduct. The impact of its construction on the landscape was kept to a minimum – while maximising the visual effects. A further advantage of the structure is that it saves time. It now feels like the trip from Bestwig to Olsberg takes merely an instant.

Year of completion

2019

Type of intervention

New construction

Contracting authority

Landesbetrieb Straßenbau NRW / Region 1

Client

Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Location

Velmede – Nuttlar

Type of structure

Road bridge

Construction method

Incremental launching

Construction material of superstructure

Reinforced concrete, steel composite

Total length

660,00 m

Type of structural system

Deck bridge

Span lengths

77m 2x95m 115m 2x97,5m 83m

Construction height

6,00 m

Construction width

29,20 m

Services Grassl

Preliminary design, detailed design

Latest news about the project

North Rhine-Westphalia's highest viaduct carrying traffic

The new section of the A46 motorway from Bestwig to Olsberg was opened …