The Federal Highway B10 in Ulm is usually busy even at night. However, this time it was eerily quiet: the city used the night from Monday to Tuesday to perform three construction works on the Wallstraße Bridge at once. It was a night for cranes, inspectors, and bridge builders. A long-stored structure was finally installed after a decade.
The Wallstraße Bridge was inspected from all sides. A special under-bridge inspection unit allowed engineers to closely examine the structure from below. The task was complex. Fourteen railway tracks run beneath the bridge. Their overhead contact lines carry 15,000 volts. To inspect the bridge, these had to be de-energized—only possible at night when rail traffic is halted. Meanwhile, a road sign had to be removed in preparation for the upcoming demolition of the eastern half of the bridge.
B10 in Ulm: Heavy Transport Delivered the Bridge Overnight
The main event was the installation of a pedestrian bridge. This structure has a long history. “The bridge has been in storage for ten years,” noted Andrea Röhrer, Head of the Engineering Structures Department at Ulm’s City Administration. The bridge was actually built back in 2015 as a replacement for its predecessor. However, its installation was halted at the time. The reason: the bridge would have blocked the view of the historic double caponier at the Kienlesberg bastion.
For years, it lay on the edge of a parking lot in the Danube Valley. It was even visible on satellite images. Now it gets a second chance with a different railing. The lattice structure is significantly more transparent than what was planned in 2015, so it won’t obstruct the view as much. The bridge will be needed from February onward as a detour route for pedestrians and cyclists between Kienlesberg and Lehren-Tal. “We installed it now ahead of time to provide a short detour route,” added Röhrer. Later, it will become part of the route network for the 2030 State Garden Show.
Mobile Crane Precisely Installed the 22-Ton Structure
The transport of the 23-meter-long, 22-ton bridge began at midnight. Via Küberring and Berliner Ring, it reached the construction site. Shortly after 1:00 AM, the heavy transport arrived. On the closed-off B10, the bridge was unloaded, and temporary barriers were erected. Meanwhile, fog descended, and the top of the crane was only visible by the work light mounted on it.
Then, the bridge hung from the hook of a mobile crane. It was precisely placed onto the prepared abutments. By around 3:00 AM, everything was complete. The bridge will receive a special cable railing. This way, the view of the fortress structure will remain open. Around 5:00 AM, traffic resumed. Thanks to the coordination of the three construction sites, several planned closures of the B10 were combined into a single one.
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