Hundwilertobel bridge, Arch bridge in Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Switzerland.
The Hundwilertobel bridge was a reinforced concrete arch bridge with a deck on trestles, built about 100 m downstream of the old covered wooden bridge. Its main arch spanned 105 m, with a 3.5 m thick springing tapering to 1.3 m at the crown, and the deck was 7.8 m wide. The total length was 221 m, crossing the Urnäsch 74 m below.
The bridge was built in 1925 to connect Hundwil and Waldstatt across the gorge. This construction represented an important step in modernizing regional infrastructure and improved accessibility between the two communities.
The bridge was blown up by Swiss Army engineers on 23 February 1993 at 14:34, using 150 kg of explosives placed by Genietruppen. Its opening on 30 August 1925 drew a crowd of 30,000 people. The old covered wooden bridge by the Grubenmann family of Teufen was demolished in summer 1928, the contract going for 4,000 francs to the innkeeper of the Gasthaus Krone in Speicher.
The bridge no longer exists: it was blown up by the Swiss Army on 23 February 1993 at 14:34, after the new Hundwilertobelbrücke opened on 26 September 1992. Its successor stands nearby and carries the road between Waldstatt and Hundwil; the old bridge stood about 100 m upstream of the earlier covered wooden bridge.
The bridge was demolished with 150 kg of explosives placed by Swiss Army engineer troops; the charge was fired on 23 February 1993 at 14:34, after the replacement bridge opened on 26 September 1992. Its main arch had a span of 105 m, slightly more than the Langwieser Viadukt built about ten years earlier.
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