Freudenstadt (dpa/lsw) – As part of the renewal of the Kinzig Valley Railway, Deutsche Bahn is having the Lauterbad Viaduct renovated, a railway bridge that was built between 1884 and 1886 and is a listed monument. According to the information, the structure is 213 meters long and crosses the Lauter river after the Lauterbad district of Freudenstadt.
For the work, specialists have to remove wooden sleepers and rails from the steel trusses and remove the old anti-corrosion paint from the truss. This is happening under a tent so that no dangerous substances are released into the environment, explained project manager Frank Schumacher from DB Netz AG on Wednesday. The waste is vacuumed off and packed airtight until it is transported away.
Since the work is progressing in sections, colleagues were already applying new corrosion protection under another tent – partly with a brush, partly with a nozzle. This is done in several layers.
The viaduct should be preserved as an “architectural historical testimony” as far as possible in its original form. According to Schumacher, the bridge was damaged in World War II and then rebuilt. The core renovation should provide protection for 40 to 50 years. The work is said to last until the end of the year. Work has been going on below the bridge for the last few months while trains are running again.
According to earlier information, the railway is investing a total of around 35 million euros in the modernization of the Kinzig Valley Railway. This makes it one of the largest construction projects in the country. It’s about 32 kilometers of track, around 50,000 sleepers and 45,000 tons of gravel. Several bridges, level crossings and the Hausach and Halbmeil train stations are being renovated. For travelers, this means that they have to take buses between Hausach (Ortenaukreis) and Freudenstadt as planned until October 8th.
