New Bridges in Switzerland

 

Bolligen, Switzerland, August 18, 2009 Hallo Joe,

It is a few weeks I made a visit in the Emmental, the uppermost part of the valley, where the Keatings did their walk some years ago. I was surprised to find a brand new covered bridge at the end of the road.

There is just a very old hotel and I think, contractors want to cross the Emme River to drive some kilometers more to their construction jobs for mountain farming with 40t vehicles. The construction of the bridge looks heavy, so I think the bearing capacity is 40t.

My estimate of the costs, based on an open bridge built in 2007, is almost $500,000 US. Most of the finances were probably paid by the State of Berne; that's where I pay a lot of taxes!

The length is about 60 ft., the width for motor vehicles and pedestrians is 15 ft.

To show you that new open bridge construction with glued laminated arches are constructed in Switzerland, the 3rd photo is a bridge for pedestrians over the Emme towards its end with a span of more than 150 ft.

We have a very hot week; up to 33°C.

Yours in bridging,
Konrad Meyer-Usteri