Weihe Viaduct
{{Short description|Bridge of the A4 motorway near Richelsdorf, Germany}}
{{distinguish|Wiehltal bridge}}
The Weihe Viaduct (German: Weihetalbrücke, also known as Talbrücke Richelsdorf) is a motorway bridge on the Bundesautobahn 4 (A 4) near Richelsdorf, Germany.{{cite journal |last1=Slomski |first1=W. |last2=Hensel |first2=B. |title=Entwurf und Bau der Talbrücke Richelsdorf. |journal=Beton- und Stahlbetonbau |date=February 1994 |volume=89 |issue=2 |pages=35–39 |doi=10.1002/best.199400070 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/best.199400070 |language=en |issn=0005-9900|url-access=subscription }} The bridge is located between the eastbound and westbound exits for Gerstungen on the route between Bad Hersfeld (Hesse) and Eisenach (Thuringia).
It is a prestressed concrete bridge with a length of 584 m, and rests on eight columns. It crosses the valley of the small river Weihe.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}
History
The construction of the bridge had been planned since the beginning of the 1940s. Construction began but halted,{{cite web |title=Grundhafte Erneuerung in den Abschnitten Bad Hersfeld West und Ost |url=https://www.autobahn.de/planen-bauen/projekt/grundhafte-erneuerung-in-den-abschnitten-bad-hersfeld-west-und-ost |website=autobahn.de |publisher=Die Autobahn GmbH des Bundes |language=de}} leaving only a few columns built. This was due to its location near the former border between the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany. Instead, a provisional route through the valley was constructed for the motorway.
After the 1990 German reunification, traffic increased considerably, and in 1992 construction of a new bridge was started. The new bridge cost 45 million DM and was inaugurated in 1994. It was opened to traffic in 1995.{{cite web |last1=Müller |first1=Hanno |title=Die Auferstehung der A 4 im Thüringer Zipfel |url=https://www.thueringer-allgemeine.de/leben/land-und-leute/article220790079/Die-Auferstehung-der-A-4-im-Thueringer-Zipfel.html |website=www.thueringer-allgemeine.de |publisher=FUNKE Mediengruppe |language=de |date=20 March 2015}} Two of the old columns were kept as a monument.
References
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{{Coord|50|57|36|N|10|02|41|E|type:landmark|display=title}}
Category:Buildings and structures in Hersfeld-Rotenburg
Category:Bridges completed in 1994
Category:Road bridges in Germany
Category:1994 establishments in Germany
Category:Buildings and structures in Wartburgkreis
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