Kocher Viaduct
On the Kocher Viaduct (German: Kochertalbrücke) near Schwäbisch Hall in Germany the Autobahn 6 crosses the Kocher valley between Heilbronn and Nuremberg. With its maximum height of 185m above the valley bottom, 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.
Kocher Viaduct Kochertalbrücke | |
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| Coordinates | 49.177543°N 9.785833°E |
| Carries | Autobahn 6 |
| Crosses | Kocher valley |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 1,128 metres (3,701 ft) |
| Width | 31 metres (102 ft) |
| Height | 178 metres (584 ft) |
| Clearance below | 185 metres (607 ft) |
| History | |
| Construction start | 1976 |
| Construction end | 1979 |
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  Kocher Viaduct Location in Germany | |
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. Construction was from 1976 to 1979.
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.
References
- A. Linse: Kochertalbrücke-Entwürfe einer Großbrücke. In: Bauingenieur, Jahrgang 1978, S. 453–463.
- Höchste deutsche Talbrücke: Kochertalbrücke