Eichenzell (dpa/lhe) – With a groundbreaking ceremony, the new construction of the Thalaubach Viaduct on Autobahn 7 near Eichenzell in the Hesse Rhön region has officially begun. The challenging structure with a length of 312 meters should contribute to the future-proof expansion of Germany’s longest motorway, explained the parliamentary state secretary in the Federal Ministry of Transport, Oliver Luksic, at the start of the construction. The Confederation is investing a total of 87 million euros in the replacement building. Completion is scheduled for the end of 2028, including an upgrading of the 2.6 kilometer long route.
The new replacement building is to be implemented with the help of the so-called 4+0 traffic route: First, the work begins with the construction of the new eastern half of the bridge directly next to the existing bridge. This first half will carry the road towards Kassel and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. All traffic will then be placed on this new half of the bridge, with two lanes in each direction. The entire old bridge will then be demolished and the western half of the bridge, which will lead to Würzburg after completion, will be rebuilt.
Stephan Krenz, CEO of Federal Autobahn GmbH, spoke of a “flagship project”. With the start of its operations at the beginning of 2021, the company has taken over numerous aging bridges from the federal states. “Besides the management of the existing infrastructure, our main focus is on the planning and construction of replacement buildings.”
According to Cord Lüesse, director of the north-western branch of Autobahn GmbH, the start of work on the Thalaubach viaduct is also the starting signal for further replacement construction measures on the Hessian part of the A7. Among other things, the new construction of the Welkers viaduct (district of Fulda), three bridge structures near Niederaula (district of Hersfeld-Rotenburg), the Grossenmoor viaduct and the viaduct Uttrichshausen (both district of Fulda) are also planned. The Götzenhof Viaduct and the Langenschwarz Viaduct (also both in the Fulda district) are already under construction.
The Thalaubach viaduct was built in 1968 and, according to Autobahn GmbH, is no longer able to cope with today’s traffic loads. The facility was reinforced in 2018. Since then, it has been closely monitored by quarterly special audits, the company said. Furthermore, monitoring is carried out through the analysis of noise emissions.
