Kochertalbrucke

On the Kochertalbrucke (Kocher Valley Bridge) near Schwabisch Hall in Germany the Autobahn 6 crosses the Kocher valley between Heilbronn and Nuremberg.

Kochertalbrucke

Transferred                                   Bundesautobahn 6

Crosses                                          Kocher valley

Locale                                           Geislingen am Kocher, Germany

Total length                                  1128 metres

Wide                                             31 metres

Height pillar                                  178 metres

Longest span                                 138 metres

Beginning date                              1976

Opening date                                1979

With its maximum height of 185m above the valley ground it is the highest viaduct in Germany, and was also the bridge with the tallest pillars in the world before the Millau Viaduct, France was completed in 2004.

The nine spans of this prestressed concrete girder bridge cover a length of 1128m, the individual span lengths being 81m for the outer two and 138m for the remaining seven. Pillar height varies from 40m to 178m. The bridge table is 31m wide.

A museum in the village of Geislingen am Kocher below the bridge (visits by prior appointment) not only tells the bridge's story but also displays dinosaur fossils found during the construction of the motorway.