Award for bridge construction with SIGRAFIL® fiber from SGL Carbon: Road bridge BW 399c receives German Steel Construction Engineering Award 2024 for innovative bridge solution

Picture of a bridge that crosses a highway.

© Hajo Dietz: Road bridge BW399c Nuremberg

  • Awarded by bauforumstahl e.V. for the road bridge BW 399c along the A3 highway
  • Use of carbon reinforcement made of carbon fibers from SGL Carbon as a pioneering solution for sustainable bridge construction

The road bridge BW 399c along the A3 highway near Nuremberg, Germany, has been awarded the prestigious German Steel Construction Engineering Award 2024. The 64-meter-long road bridge was reinforced with carbon reinforcement based on 50k SIGRAFIL® carbon fibers from SGL Carbon.

Every two years, the bauforumstahl e.V. award recognizes outstanding structures and highlights innovative bridge constructions. The BW 399c bridge project designed by Leonhardt, Andrä und Partner, marks a significant milestone in modern bridge construction: For the first time in Europe, an orthotropic composite roadway slab was used in combination with carbon reinforcement on a road bridge. The reduced need for concrete not only saves material but also significantly improves the bridge's CO2 balance.

Improved CO2 balance thanks to non-metallic reinforcement

The innovative method of using carbon fiber-reinforced concrete saved over 60 tons of CO2 compared to conventional steel composite structures. Moreover, the weight of the roadway slab was reduced by 55%, bringing it down to just 450 kg/m². This lightened design also ensures a longer service life for the bridge due to the corrosion resistance of carbon.

In addition, the reduced self-weight and the prefabrication of the bridge segments allowed for an overnight installation, minimizing traffic disruptions on the busy A3 highway.

"This project combines several innovative approaches and demonstrates impressively how the use of modern materials such as carbon reinforcement can revolutionize bridge construction in the long term.", explains Tobias Mansperger, project manager and authorized signatory at the engineering company Leonhardt Andrä und Partner.

With the use of carbon as an innovative material, this project offers a pioneering solution for bridge and infrastructure design. The high corrosion resistance of carbon enables the use of lighter concrete structures, reducing both construction costs and CO2 emissions.

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Claudia Kellert
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