Germany plans replacement for A40 Neuenkamp Duisburg Bridge

Germany’s motorway authority has unveiled plans for an 802m cable stayed replacement bridge taking the A40 over the Rhine River near Duisburg. The state owned authority Deges - Deutsche Einheit Fernstraßenplanungs- und -bau - will oversee the project that includes an eight-lane expansion of the A40, all in the industrial Rhur region.
March 6, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Germany’s longest cable stayed bridge, the proposed replacement A40 Neuenkamp Duisburg crossing (photo: Keipke Architekten)
Germany’s motorway authority has unveiled plans for an 802m cable stayed replacement bridge taking the A40 over the Rhine River near Duisburg.


The state owned authority Deges - Deutsche Einheit Fernstraßenplanungs- und -bau - will oversee the project that includes an eight-lane expansion of the A40, all in the industrial Rhur region.

"We hope that there will be a planning approval decision in 2019. Only then can we start with the tenders,” said Karl-Heinz Aukschun, Deges project manager.

If so, construction could start in 2020 and the bridge open by 2023 after which the old bridge will be demolished. The entire project including highway expansion should be complete by 2026.

Estimated cost will be €340 million for the bridge alone, whose main span between the two piers will be 380m, making it Germany’s longest cable stayed bridge.

According to Deges, the bridge will carry 126,000 vehicles a day by 2030, although the bridge’s capacity will be 150,000 vehicles daily. Lifespan will be up to 100 years.

The existing 775m-long Neuenkamp Bridge was completed in 1971 and was designed to carry 30,000 vehicles daily. However, for several years it has been carrying around 110,000 vehicles a day, including 11,000 trucks, according to media reports.

The old bridge’s decks were resurfaced 10 years ago. But since then, the structure has been closed on occasions for emergency welding to repair cracks. At other times, weight restrictions have been put in place for trucks.

Questions have already been raised about land acquisition for the A40 highway expansion as well as over the steel to be used for the bridge. Critics have wanted to know if the steel will come from Germany or China.

Udo Pasderski, Deges area manager, said steel will be purchase that gives best value for the citizens. "We always have to accept the most cost-effective offer in Europe-wide tenders," he said.

However, construction of the A1 Rhine bridge near Leverkusen, which will probably begin in 2019, will use Chinese steel.

Road Structures

Related Content

  • Italy’s horrific bridge collapse is a sign of a wider problem
    January 7, 2019
    The shocking collapse of a major highway bridge in the Italian city of Genoa has highlighted a major problem with regard to poor infrastructure condition in the country. Causing multiple fatalities, the cable-stayed Morandi Bridge suffered a spectacular failure of a central support. Homes have had to be evacuated and it seems likely that the bridge, opened in 1967, will now have to be demolished. However, warnings had been given. The unusual bridge design, with its thin deck and reinforced concrete stays
    Read More
  • Golden route to success
    July 20, 2012
    Built in 1937 and still the ninth longest suspension bridge in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge across San Francisco Bay remains in fine shape despite its age - Andrew Bardin Williams writes The Golden Gate Bridge turned 75 years old on May 27 and continues to play a key role in the transportation, engineering, construction and ITS communities. The structure has played an important historical role, an engineering success that boosted the economy of the region. And it also led the way as the first major pub
    Read More
  • China opens record-breaking bridge
    April 11, 2012
    China has opened the world's longest bridge over water, the 41.58km Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, which is said to have cost well over US$2 billion to build. It links the eastern port city of Qingdao to Huangdao Island across Jiaozhou Bay and is 4km longer than the previous longest bridge over water, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana, USA. Opened in June, 2011 after four years of construction, the link is expected to carry some 30,000 vehicle/day and will reduce travel time by 30 minutes, although it is o
    Read More
  • China looks to the future with major highway plans
    February 15, 2012
    China is still moving ahead with plans that will give it the world's biggest highway system. Patrick Smith reports. As China's economy grows even more, keeping the country on the move has become a priority for the government. While the country has made great strides over the past decade in improving its infrastructure, the number of vehicles has also increased rapidly, and in some instances restrictions have been placed on them.
    Read More

Highlighted Content