| Owner: Communauté des Trois Frontières
and die Stadt Weil am Rhein Architects: Feichtinger Architectes, Arch. DI Dietmar Feichtinger |
Structural engineering: LAP Main contractor: Max Bögl (www.max-boegl.de) |
Birth of new footbridge linking France and Germany
Huningue (France) – Weil am Rhein (Germany)
A world record:
It is the arch-footbridge with the longuest span in the world: 230 m between
its two supports, 248 in all (without the acces ramps).
A european project:
Max Bögl inc, a german company from Neumark and the main contractor
for this foot- and cyclebridge connecting Weil am rhein in Germany (very
close to the swiss frontier) to Huningue in France, made the belgian company
SARENS responsable for moving the footbridge from its building site to
its final location (1 km shipping). The architecte Dietmar Feichtinger
is austrian and have been living in France for 17 years and Wolfgang Strobl
also austrian, works for LAP in Berlin.
This foot and cyclebridge with its 230 m span naturaly participate in
the landscape thanks to its slim structural elements.
The project is not only to create a corridor for bicycles and pedestrians
linking the two citys that will facilitate exchange between the population
but also to have the widest free span possible so as not to jam the freight
traffic near Bâle's harbour.
The footbridge have an assymetrical structure. While the north side arch
is vertical, the south side arch is bent to open the visual axis linking
the two countrys. The deck, made of steel sheet, has a average width of
5 m.
On the german side, a long acces ramp leads naturally from a parc n Weil
am Rhein to the footbridge itself while a flight of stairs links it to
the Rhein banks.
On the french side, a square will be created. The main acces to the bridge
is a stairway and a short slope for bicycles. A elevator gives acces for
mobility impaired persons.