A26 Linz – Superlatives on the Danube

Tunnel and bridge, we know that already. After the Peljesac Adriatic Bridge-Tunnel project, JES is now involved in another superlative project. In Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, a gigantic suspension bridge is currently being built on the Danube, connecting two tunnel portals on the banks of the Danube.

The structure will form a western bypass of the city and is expected to relieve the Linz city center of 20,000 cars a day. The central component of the project is a 300m long and 22.5m wide suspension bridge “floating” above the Danube. Without any supporting pillars, this bridge is directly fixed with over 100 rock anchors in the steep rock faces of the Danube bank. 4 km of the 4.7 km long section are tunneled underneath in an environmentally friendly way. The measurement technology for tunnel safety is again provided by JES from Hallein.

The bridge in figures:

• The two main supporting cables are each 500 meters long and weigh around 900 tons.
• Each of these two main suspension cables consists of 12 individual cables with a diameter of just under 15 cm and a weight of around 75 tons.
• These 12 individual ropes – as a rope package – measure approx. 1,9 x 0,4 m at the end.
  
• Total weight of the bridge: approx. 13,000 tons
• 100 rock anchors with a length of up to 70 meters hold the bridge at both ends at the so-called ‘anchor blocks’.

In addition to the gigantic project volume totaling 745 million euros, the time required for construction and commissioning also means that the bridge will take a long time to complete. The bridge design that has now been realized was found in a competition back in 2003. The actual start of construction dates back to October 2015, the overall project will be implemented in a total of 3 construction phases and the finalization with connection to all incoming and outgoing traffic routes will not be completed until 2031. Completion of construction stage 1 with commissioning of the suspension bridge will take place as early as October 2024.

JES is taking the foreseeable completion of the bridge as an opportunity to hold this year’s Tunnel Symposium in Linz and to visit the construction site of the bridge and the tunnels together with ASFINAG Bau-Management GmbH (BMG).

An exciting excursion in the context of exciting lectures at the conference hotel ARCOTEL with a view of the Danube and the city of Linz.

Those who already want more details about the A26 bridge/tunnel project in Linz can visit the ASFINAG website and the ASFINAG blog with animated tunnel and bridge tours, real-time webcam and many more facts and figures about the project.

This year’s tunnel symposium as well as the duration of the project will always give us cause for further reports.

See you in Linz!