Headquarters:
mageba sa
Trafostrasse 1
8180 Bulach
Switzerland
Tel: +41-44-872 40 50
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Viaduct renovation
The steel truss structures of the historic Wipkinger viaduct in Zurich are currently undergoing extensive renovation. With the new mageba bridge bearings and expansion joints, the bridges will have the necessary "freedom of movement" to cope with future traffic.
The Wipkinger Viaduct was opened in 1894 to carry railway traffic from the north of Zurich to the main train station in the city centre, and for 130 years it has been one of the city’s most prominent transportation structures. As part of a wider structural renovation project, the four steel truss structures that carry the railway line over a busy road and the Limmat River were dismantled in March 2024 for extensive refurbishment in a factory – and mageba was contracted to supply the new bearings and expansion joints required.
Apart from designing and manufacturing these key structural components, mageba’s local team also participated closely in developing the appropriate assembly sequences. From lowering and aligning the bridge to the special requirements resulting from the very limited space available, mageba was involved in the project in a planning and advisory capacity from an early stage.
Following their refurbishment, the truss structures have now been reinstalled, with modern RESTON®SPHERICAL bearings replacing the old-fashioned roller bearings that previously supported them at each end. As well as designing the new bearings to meet the viaduct’s movement and rotation requirements, mageba’s local team also took great care to ensure that the new bearings would fit precisely into place with perfect load transmission – even participating in the fitting of the required connection plates in the factory where the trusses were being renovated, pouring a special quick-hardening material to compensate for any unevenness in the old steelwork.
Our team then went on to install the newly supplied TENSA®RAIL RSU expansion joints to accommodate the superstructure movements at the surface. These were fabricated from stainless steel for maximum durability, extending the length of service life before replacement becomes necessary – who knows, perhaps 130 years from now?
Client’s engineer: AFRY
Owner: SBB
Contractor: Marti AG
