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A new bridge now leads over the Untere Argen near Wangen-Herfatz. The state and the regional council of Tübingen, together with the city of Wangen, ceremoniously approved the replacement building on federal highway 32.
The replacement construction of the bridge over the Untere Argen in Wangen-Herfatz has been completed. On December 20, 2023, the new bridge on the federal highway (B) 32 was opened by Andreas Hollatz, head of the road traffic and road infrastructure department in the Ministry of Transport, and Rainer Hölz, head of the department for mobility, traffic and roads in the Tübingen regional council the local federal and state parliament members as well as the mayor of the city of Wangen, Michael Lang.
Replacement new building for an efficient and safe infrastructure
“The importance of an efficient and reliable road infrastructure becomes particularly clear on busy roads like the B 32. In Baden-Württemberg, many bridges are getting old. The buildings have often reached a condition that urgently requires renovation or, in certain cases, a replacement building. In total, around 660 bridges in the federal and state road networks are currently in need of renovation, and around 330 of these bridges require new replacements. For this reason, the repair and replacement of the bridges are a very high priority for the state’s road construction administration ,” said department head Andreas Hollatz.
The bridge, built in 1947, no longer met today's traffic and safety requirements. Due to the poor overall condition and insufficient load-bearing reserves, simply repairing or upgrading the bridge was not economically justifiable. For this reason, a replacement building was necessary. The old bridge was demolished in May 2023 to make room for a modern steel composite frame bridge that was built on the same site. The use of precast steel beams and precast concrete elements enabled the project to be implemented efficiently and in a time-optimized manner. As a result, the construction time was only around ten months. In addition to building the bridge, extensive pipe laying and road construction work was carried out to connect the new structure to the road network.
“The work was completed just in time. The bridge is now fit for the future,” emphasized Rainer Hölz, department head at the Tübingen regional council. He thanked the residents, road users and businesses for their patience in connection with the disruption caused by the measure.
Synergy effects used
In the shadow of the measure, a comprehensive road surface renewal was carried out on a stretch of around 1.3 kilometers along the B 32 between the Autobahn 96, Wangen-West junction, and the bridge over the Untere Argen in Wangen-Herfatz. During this measure, not only was the damaged roadway replaced, but the two existing bus stops in the Herfatz town thoroughfare were also converted into barrier-free roadway stops.
As part of the construction work between Herfatz and Wangen/Waltersbühl, which also took place in the shadow of the bridge renovation, two additional bus stops were converted into barrier-free road stops. In addition, measures to improve cycling safety were implemented by widening the road, including the designation of a cycle protection lane and the installation of a crossing aid.
In parallel to the measures mentioned, the city of Wangen is investing in improving the transport infrastructure. The B 32/Am Waltersbühl intersection will be converted into a modern roundabout in order to make traffic flow more efficient and increase traffic safety.
Cost
The total costs for the replacement of the bridge and the two sections of the road surface renewal amount to around 5.4 million euros and are borne by the federal government. In addition, the federal government is contributing around a quarter of a million euros to the costs of the new B 32/Am Waltersbühl roundabout.
