More money for the renovation of the Rabenstein railway viaduct
At its meeting today, the city council decided to provide additional funding of 650,000 euros for the Rabenstein railway viaduct for 2021.
The result of the tender for the renovation of the railway viaduct had to be cancelled due to unsecured funding. To ensure that the new public tender can start in 2020, the additional funding will be secured at the same time with a commitment authorisation in the 2021 budget.
Work is then expected to begin in spring 2021. These
then last until around mid-2022.
Total costs are currently expected to amount to 2.6 million euros, of which the state of Saxony will provide 1.5 million euros as a fixed grant from the former GDR party assets.
The viaduct, which is currently used as a pedestrian bridge and hiking trail, is in a poor condition. The city of Chemnitz is responsible for the viaduct's road safety. The rear abutment was repaired in 2009/2010. However, no maintenance work has been carried out on the rest of the structure. After 122 years of service life, appropriate measures are urgently needed, especially on the steel framework.
An inspection of the structure in April 2017 revealed that all components were rusted, in some cases almost rusted through, due to the virtually non-existent corrosion protection.
The parapet and cornice stones are also damaged and weathered. Some stones are loose or missing. The severely damaged components of the steel framework are to be replaced and the other components blasted. The steel framework will then be given new corrosion protection.
For this purpose, it is necessary to completely enclose the suspended scaffolding to protect the environment. Road traffic below the bridge will therefore remain largely unaffected.
In addition to the touristic significance of the structure, it is of great importance as a technical monument and must therefore be preserved in its original substance.
In future, the viaduct will also be usable for cyclists, with a planned usable width of 3 metres and a railing height of 1.30 metres. The current height of the railings is not permitted for this purpose. There are also plans to illuminate the structure with four LED spotlights in the dark in order to better emphasise the architectural and technical masterpiece.