Pierre Pflimlin bridge
Encyclopedia
The Pierre Pflimlin Bridge (Pont Pierre Pflimlin in French) is a 957 m long (main span 205 m) motorway bridge over the river Rhine between Germany
and France
, south of Strasbourg
/ Kehl
. It is named after Pierre Pflimlin
, a former French prime minister, and was opened in 2002. It was funded in cooperation between France, Germany and the European Union
.
Planned for several decades, it was built during the late 1990s and early 2000s by the construction companies Bilfinger Berger
and Max Früh.
The funding for its construction was provided to 55.5% by France, 38.6% by Germany and 5.9% by the European Union
.
-Kehl
to the north, by connecting the
motorway Lauterbourg/Strasbourg-Saint-Louis/Basle from France
to the A5 Hamburg/Frankfurt/Basle motorway in Germany
.
Due to the Schengen Agreement
, there are no border controls on the bridge.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, south of Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
/ Kehl
Kehl
Kehl is a town in southwestern Germany in the Ortenaukreis, Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the river Rhine, directly opposite the French city of Strasbourg.-History:...
. It is named after Pierre Pflimlin
Pierre Pflimlin
Pierre Eugène Jean Pflimlin was a French Christian democratic politician who served as the penultimate Prime Minister of the Fourth Republic for a few weeks in 1958, before being replaced by Charles de Gaulle during the crisis of that year.-Life:...
, a former French prime minister, and was opened in 2002. It was funded in cooperation between France, Germany and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
Construction
Bilfinger Berger
Bilfinger Berger is a large, internationally active construction and services company based in Mannheim, Germany.-History:Bilfinger Berger dates back to 1880 when August Bernatz founded an engineering business which became known, from 1886 as Bernatz & Grün and, from 1892, as Grün & Bilfinger.In...
and Max Früh.
- The central segments (located over the river) were built in balanced cantilever, cast-in-place fashion, extending outwards from each of the two pylon islands constructed in the stream. A concrete volume of 18.000 m3, 760 t of prestressing steel, and 2.700 t of reinforcing steel were used in total.
- The pylons were constructed on caissonsCaisson (engineering)In geotechnical engineering, a caisson is a retaining, watertight structure used, for example, to work on the foundations of a bridge pier, for the construction of a concrete dam, or for the repair of ships. These are constructed such that the water can be pumped out, keeping the working...
floated into place and secured with 50 m deep foundation piles, and are designed to withstand earthquakes and ship impacts.
- The approach bridge on the French side was built in segments, and then pushed horizontally onto the approach pylons, while the approach bridge section on the German side was built by another German company and was cast in place with standard formwork.
- The hollow construction of all bridge segments has both pre-stressedPrestressed concretePrestressed concrete is a method for overcoming concrete's natural weakness in tension. It can be used to produce beams, floors or bridges with a longer span than is practical with ordinary reinforced concrete...
and post-stressed components, realized by the French specialist construction company Freyssinet. The formwork was provided by PERIPeriIn Persian mythology, which constitutes the mythology of not just Persians but all Iranian peoples, peris are descended from fallen angels who have been denied paradise until they have done penance. In earlier sources they are described as agents of evil; later, they are benevolent...
.
The funding for its construction was provided to 55.5% by France, 38.6% by Germany and 5.9% by the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
Function
The bridge carries two traffic lanes and two pedestrian / cycle routes. Its main function is to reduce pressure on the only other close-by Rhine bridge, the 'Pont Europeen'/ 'Europabruecke' at StrasbourgStrasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
-Kehl
Kehl
Kehl is a town in southwestern Germany in the Ortenaukreis, Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the river Rhine, directly opposite the French city of Strasbourg.-History:...
to the north, by connecting the
motorway Lauterbourg/Strasbourg-Saint-Louis/Basle from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to the A5 Hamburg/Frankfurt/Basle motorway in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Due to the Schengen Agreement
Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed on 14 June 1985 near the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, between five of the ten member states of the European Economic Community. It was supplemented by the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement 5 years later...
, there are no border controls on the bridge.
See also
- Bilfinger BergerBilfinger BergerBilfinger Berger is a large, internationally active construction and services company based in Mannheim, Germany.-History:Bilfinger Berger dates back to 1880 when August Bernatz founded an engineering business which became known, from 1886 as Bernatz & Grün and, from 1892, as Grün & Bilfinger.In...
- Max Früh