Investigation of the steel supporting structure of the railway viaduct in Rabenstein
From 4 to 7 April 2017, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., the steel supporting structure of the listed railway viaduct in Rabenstein will be inspected. For this purpose, the steel framework will be climbed by an alpine team.
The bridge celebrates its 120th anniversary in 2017. Due to its age, there is increased rusting on the steel truss. Planning is currently underway to replace the bridge superstructure and repair the steel substructures. The implementation of the measure is dependent on the inclusion of the financing in the city's budget and the use of possible funding programmes.
All connections, consisting of steel profiles and gusset plates, are to be examined for their condition by the Alpine team in order to obtain precise information about the existing degree of rusting and their durability. This is not done from the ground, but requires a close-up inspection.
On the one hand, the results are to be taken into account in the tendering process for the construction work and, on the other hand, to create cost certainty for the city of Chemnitz, as this can largely rule out additional work during construction.
The bridge was built in 1897 by the Royal Saxon State Railway. The structure is one of the oldest steel bridges in Germany and the last bridge of this type in Saxony.
The Limbach (Sa.) - Wüstenbrand railway line was closed in 1950. It was converted into a pedestrian bridge in 1984.
The most recent renovation measure was the renovation of the bridge abutment on Oberfrohnaer Straße (Grüna side) in 2009.
The bridge superstructure has a minimum construction height of 3.10 metres and a maximum of 5.70 metres. The height above the ground is approx. 23 metres. The bridge is 4.30 m wide (usable width 2.50 m) and 101.20 m long. The total length of the bridge, including abutments, is 150.40 metres.