Bridge over Railway Line
The construction of the new foot and bike path bridge over the existing two-track railway line in Ditzingen, is a major part of the station sites reorganization. Connecting the city center of Ditzingen in the north with the residential and industrial area in the south, the bridge also offers direct access to the station’s central platform. The entrance from the north side is used as a bike park, the inclined walkways allow for secured parking of up to 54 bikes and e-bikes.
The design of the composite bridge structure is based on simple U-shaped modules formed from pre-fabricated components constructed in carbon-fiber reinforced concrete with finely ground aggregates and standardized concrete shuttering. Due to the minimal thickness of both side walls (7 cm) and bridge deck (9 cm) the mass of each component was reduced by at least two thirds compared to conventional building materials. The substitution of corrodible reinforced steel with fine-mesh carbon-fiber reinforcement results in a construction of high durability with low maintenance requirements.
Following the success of the prototype in Albstadt, Ditzingen’s new bridge and bike park serve as a prime example of the use of pure textile-reinforced concrete elements as a load-bearing structure, free of reinforced steelwork.