![]() ![]() 9 All existing bridges and support structures were tested and in some cases reinforced. In order to improve safety and prevent similar catastrophes in the future, the Post and Railway Department issued an ordinance in 1892 concerning the calculation and testing of iron bridge and roof structures on Swiss railways. They reached the conclusion that the bridge had design faults and that the quality of the iron used was inadequate.Ĭonfidence in the new steel bridges and the rapid technological development was shaken. Two ETH professors – Wilhelm Ritter and Ludwig Tetmajer, both former students of Culmann – were commissioned to prepare a report 8 about the cause of the accident. In 1891, Switzerland’s worst ever railway accident occurred: the railway bridge 7 over the river Birs near Münchenstein collapsed under the weight of a passenger train, killing more than 70 people. 5' 6 The cause was determined to be a design fault, among other things. In 1879, for example, the Tay Bridge in Scotland collapsed during a storm while a train was passing over it. ![]() However, modern bridge-building was still in its infancy, resulting in a number of tragic accidents. This meant that longer distances had to be spanned, which traditional stone-arch bridges were no longer able to accomplish. Railway lines had to avoid being too steep and curvy, which is why they were laid high above the valleys. That was because bridges could no longer be built on the valley floor, as had previously been the case. “The train was an important driver of modern bridge-building,” says Kaufmann. The transport of goods and people increased dramatically, and a growing number of roads and train lines were created. Modern bridge-building in Switzerland experienced a boom beginning in the middle of the 19th century in the course of industrialisation. By employing a great deal of expert knowledge, creativity and courage, Swiss bridge-builders have created gems worth discovering. Admittedly, due to the limits of the country’s topography, Switzerland is never going to win prizes for the biggest, highest or longest bridge in the world: “At least among the newer bridges, there are hardly any that can be considered landmarks.” Instead, Swiss bridges are known for combining efficiency with aesthetics and careful design. “People in other countries are amazed by the bridges in Switzerland,” says Walter Kaufmann, Professor of Concrete Structures and Bridge Design at ETH Zurich. They range from medieval stone-arch bridges to beam bridges made of cast iron to modern highway viaducts made of reinforced concrete. Switzerland is a country of bridges: more than 40,000 bridges 1 span rivers and gorges, connect valley sides and people and open up the remotest of mountain regions. ![]()
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