Germany’s largest wildlife crossing as a timber construction

From 15th June 2012, 25 heavy load trucks started to deliver the prefabricated laminated beams and plywood panels for Germany’s largest wildlife crossing. It is currently being built in the district of Teltow-Fläming in Brandenburg and with a length of 40 m, it will allow wildlife to cross the four-lane B 101 road.

The task of slotting the beams into the upper steel joint at a height of ca. 8 m using 4 mobile cranes (up to 90 t) and two elevating platforms (cherry-pickers) proved to be particularly challenging. Despite this, the topping-out speech was given on schedule in the presence of representatives from Brandenburg’s ministry for infrastructure and of the Landesbetrieb Straßenwesen Bran­den­burg, the state-owned road company. The assembly of the entire superstructure will be completed within only four days.

The timber bridge crosses the federal road with a clear height of 7,50 m and a span of 32 m. The structural system consists of a three-hinged arch with trusses made of glued laminated timber with steel hinges on the abutments and at the apex. The trusses are covered with plywood panels and then a sealant and protection against root penetration are applied. The wildlife crossing is then completed by covering it with earth and planting it. Durability of the construction is achieved through the use of resistant larch heartwood and additional protective coatings.

The contract for the construction of the bridge superstructure is worth ca. 2,7 million Euros and was awarded by DEGES in December 2011.

Construction supervision and contract management on behalf of DEGES for this bridge and for the renewal of 4,8 km of the B 101 road with two additional structures were carried out by a successful consortium led by KREBS+KIEFER and including Verkehrs- und Ingenieurbau Consult GmbH among others.