A Design Challenge of Its Own: The Linz Railway Bridge

In this SOFiSTiK User Report, Günther Mayrhofer, a civil engineer at KMP ZT-GmbH (Linz), writes about the challenges faced and used SOFiSTiK tools while designing this extraordinary bridge in Linz, Austria.

The Danube crossing in Linz, located in the inner-city area, faces several traffic-related challenges. The bridge has to carry pedestrians, cyclists, road traffic, and local rail traffic; the bridge features a cross-section wider than 30 meters. Notably, the arch-shaped support elements above the roadway have distinctive dissolved cross-sections. These elements continuously change in height, width, and cross-sectional shape to enhance the bridge’s architectural appearance and create a sense of lightness. V-shaped supports are visible, dissipating forces to the bearings. The main supporting structure consists of two multi-cell steel box girders with variable cross-sections along their length. The bridge also includes a 5-meter wide footpath and cycle track firmly connected to the longitudinal beams, contributing to the overall bearing capacity. Additionally, a composite slab composed of steel cross girders and a concrete slab provides load bearing in the transverse direction while increasing longitudinal capacity.