Rheinbrücke Eglisau, Arch bridge in Eglisau, Switzerland.
The Rheinbrücke Eglisau is a concrete arch bridge crossing the Rhine River near Eglisau with three main spans. The structure stretches 130 meters and was built using reinforced concrete arches to span the river.
Wooden bridges had crossed the Rhine at this location since 1240, but were destroyed over time. The current concrete arch bridge was built between 1914 and 1918 and opened to traffic in September 1919.
The bridge carries Hauptstrasse 4 and in 2013 was crossed by 26,400 vehicles a day. A drawbridge was once fitted in the first opening on the Zurich side during the Thirty Years' War. Since 1995–96 a steel-and-timber footbridge has been mounted on the side, letting the old walkway serve as a cycle path.
The bridge has two traffic lanes, a bicycle path, and a pedestrian walkway for all types of users. It serves as a practical crossing point for drivers, cyclists, and people on foot between the two banks.
The 1919 bridge replaced a covered wooden bridge that stood about 300 metres upstream; the old crossing was demolished because the Rheinsfelden power station raised the river level by roughly 6.5 metres. The three river piers rest on caissons sunk up to 30 metres below road level, each 18 metres long and 7.9 metres wide, set into the bedrock behind sheet piling.
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