Europabrücke, Steel road bridge in Tyrol, Austria
Europabrücke is the centrepiece of Austria's Brenner Autobahn A13, crossing the Wipptal between Patsch and Schönberg about 7 km south of Innsbruck. The 815 m structure combines a 120 m prestressed-concrete approach bridge, curving on a 400 m radius, with a 657 m main bridge whose deck rests on a steel box girder and five reinforced-concrete piers. The deck stands 190 m above the Sill, and the tallest pier reaches 146.5 m.
The bridge opened on 17 November 1963, inaugurated by Chancellor Alfons Gorbach, and at 190 m above the Sill it was Europe's highest bridge until 1973. It was not in the original motorway plan: at the request of Schönberg residents hoping for tourism in the Stubai, the route was switched to the other valley side, making the bridge necessary. Construction began on 25 April 1959.
The bridge was named at its 1959 groundbreaking, replacing the working name Sillbrücke III. At the 1963 opening, Chancellor Alfons Gorbach said it should "connect the peoples of Europe in peace and freedom". The Europakapelle chapel stands at the Europabrücke car park on the Schönberg side. Bungee jumps are organised from the deck on request.
The crossing is part of the A13 Brenner Autobahn and European route E45 and carries daily traffic from trucks and cars. Drivers using this motorway pass over the structure without special access restrictions but should be cautious during windy conditions.
The bridge's official name was decided only at the start of construction: until the groundbreaking on 25 April 1959 the project was called Sillbrücke III. Eight micro wind turbines went into operation on the piers on 16 May 2023, expected to produce 5,000 kWh a year for the Patsch toll station.
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