read all about it

The pedestrian and cycle bridge at Plenklberg has existed since 1993 and was originally constructed as a tubular steel structure suspended from pylons, with a roadway formed by a trapezoidal steel sheet slab with composite concrete and asphalt surfacing.

Severe corrosion on the steel structure itself and on the roadway was the decisive factor for a complete refurbishment. The planning objective was to rehabilitate the load-bearing structure and to find a corrosion-resistant system for the deck. After a design variant using a GFRP deck, the designer’s proposal to use a single-layer, carbon-reinforced concrete deck supported on a lightweight profiled steel girder grid was approved.

By using carbon mats, the slab thickness could be reduced to 7 cm, thereby saving dead weight and increasing the overall structural safety. Combined with a new drainage system using transverse channels, this results in a corrosion-resistant and very low-maintenance overall concept.

Project Details

• Location: Plenklberg, Steyr, Austria
• Client: Municipality of the City of Steyr
• Design & Structural Engineering: ZT-FRITSCH GMBH / www.zt-fritsch.at
• Executing Company – Concrete Works: SFW Salzburger Fertigteilwerk GmbH
• Year: 2024