Opladen Footbridges

Leverkusen-Opladen
Opladen Footbridges

bridge construction, digital planning  Services

Knight Architects  Architect

Pedestrian bridges made of weathering steel with timber lamellas

Project

After winning the competition in 2009, two pedestrian bridges made of weathering steel were constructed in Opladen. The bridges are part of a reorganization of the railway infrastructure, connecting the city center with the new “Neue Bahn Stadt Opladen” district. The Station Bridge replaces an old tunnel and provides barrier-free access to the railway platforms. The Campus Bridge was designed for varying urban contexts, with its final span rotated 180° after several years to ensure integration with the new development.

Two steel trough bridges, each approximately 110 m long

Structural Engineering / Bridge Construction
The bridge structure was designed as a multi-span trough bridge with distinctive external slats. The superstructure consists of two Z-shaped main girders, which are connected by crossbeams to form a trough cross-section. The lateral main girders are made of Z-profiles, with their web heights adapting to the moment distribution. This creates a curved Z-profile with minimal profile heights at the supports and maximum profile heights at the mid-span. The bridge deck is constructed from an orthotropic plate. Vertical stiffeners, which are extended into slats, are arranged to brace the webs of the main girders. The superstructure is supported by reinforced concrete wall piers

Structural design using various finite element models

Structural Analysis
Different finite element models were utilized in the design of the two bridges. Initially, a parametric programming approach was developed for form-finding and preliminary dimensioning of the bridge structure. This served as the basis for determining the geometry of the bridge spans. Subsequently, additional models were created for the individual bridge spans and details and the corresponding structural verifications were performed. A particular challenge was addressing the impact of train collisions on the massive piers.

Project data

Client Neue Bahnstadt Opladen GmbH

Architect Knight Architects

Finalization 2013

Project data Span 100 m

Services bridge construction, digital planning

Awards Foodbridge Awards 2014 - "Highly Commended" Award