The 4th bridge across the Danube river in Linz is part of a major Austrian infrastructure development – the A 26 highway, a four-lane western bypass for the city of Linz – and it crosses one of the busiest waterways in Europe, as well as rail tracks and two federal highways. The steep rock slopes of the Danube valley allow the supporting cables to be anchored directly in the rock, thus eliminating the need for pylons. The four-lane highway bridge can thus be designed as a pure suspension bridge. Due to the topographical conditions in the north and south, it connects to the existing traffic network via tunnels.
The superstructure is planned as a composite steel construction, with a central steel box girder and haunched steel crossbeams spaced at the intervals of the hangers. The suspension cable bundles are composed of 12 parallell, fully locked spiral cables and have a diameter of 95 mm. The hangers are also designed as spiral ropes The hangers are connected to the suspension ropes by rope clamps manufactured as castings.
Thanks to the unique circumstances, a very slender and highly transparent, minimalized construction is created, which fits perfectly into the ecologically highly sensitive planning area and the beautiful landscape of the Danube valley.
