Strengthening of Two Major Highway Viaducts in Germany

An entire generation of reinforced concrete highway bridges built in the post-war period in Germany is rapidly approaching the end of their lifespan. The federal government and regional highway departments have realized the necessity to replace these structures. Meanwhile measures need to be taken in order to extend the lifespan of the decaying bridges until such replacement becomes available. Two major highway viaducts in the federal state of Hessen provide examples for the temporary support of prestressed concrete bridges. These two realized structures show, how with smart customized measures critical bridges can be strengthened and an essential increase in lifespan can be achieved.