Barbara bridge, Steel suspension bridge in Lower Austria, Austria

The Barbarabrücke is a 1957 gas pipeline suspension bridge crossing the Danube between the Lobau in Vienna's 22nd district and the Mannswörther Au near Schwechat. Its two Y-shaped pylons rise 36.90 metres and carry a 320-metre main span; the 42-centimetre pipe rests on rollers and carries no structural load. A steel grating walkway runs above the pipe, and 506-metre tension cables joined to the main cables by a central clamp keep the structure stiff in wind.

Built in 1957, the Barbara pipeline bridge crosses the Danube between the Lobau in Vienna's 22nd district and the Mannswörther Au near Schwechat. The OMV needed the crossing to supply Styria with natural gas; because the 320-metre span made a conventional truss bridge too heavy, Franz Masanz of Waagner-Biro AG designed a patented suspension system, tested aerodynamically at the Technical University of Graz.

The bridge is named after Saint Barbara, patron saint of miners, reflecting the gas pipeline's link to the mining tradition. Its steel lattice walkway above the pipe was chosen after wind-tunnel tests at Graz Technical University, and the structure is designed to withstand winds up to 180 km/h.

The bridge crosses the Danube between the Lobau in Vienna's 22nd district and the Mannswörther Au, which belongs to Schwechat. It carries a gas pipeline, not a footpath, so it cannot be walked; the structure is viewed from the surrounding floodplain. The nearest road access is via the A4 motorway near Schwechat Airport.

The 506-metre tension cables run just above the pipe and meet the main cables in a clamp at mid-span, a detail visible from the banks. The pipe itself rests on rollers and carries no structural load; the span is designed for winds up to 180 km/h.