Valserrheinbrücke, Trough bridge in Vals, Switzerland

The Valserrheinbrücke, also called Dorfbrücke Vals, is a 24-metre-long, 5.2-metre-wide bridge over the Valser Rhein, clad in 84 mm thick slabs of Valser gneiss. It crosses the river at an angle and is aligned toward the village square. Its prestressed single-lane deck is suspended from the side walls by a toothed and wedged connection, and the supports are hidden behind the bank walls.

The first village bridge was replaced in 1927 by a steel truss structure after a severe flood. In 1999 it received a lifting mechanism to let debris pass, and on 7 September 2008, just before demolition, a flood of 100 litres per square metre in 24 hours caused damage. The current bridge, designed by Jürg Conzett and Peter Zumthor, was built in 2009.

The bridge is known locally as Dorfbrücke Vals, the village bridge, and it faces the village square. Its cladding of 84 mm Valser gneiss slabs ties it to the stone-building tradition of the valley. In 2013 it received the Auszeichnung für gute Bauten Graubünden, an award shared by Jürg Conzett and Peter Zumthor.

The single-lane deck is 5.2 metres wide and 24 metres long, so only one vehicle crosses at a time. Drivers report the roadway is hard to see from inside a car and ices over quickly in winter; the parapet walls also block the view down to the Valser Rhein.

The bridge forgoes visible pylons and instead uses a clever interlocking tooth and wedge system to transfer weight onto the riverbank walls. This hidden structural principle makes the crossing appear to float above the valley.