Poorly planned or crookedly installed

The position of the new bridge over the Hüribach stream in Unterägeri, recently installed by crane, appears to be misaligned with the connecting road. Marc Lutzmann, head of the local construction department, explains why it is nevertheless correct.

The pre-fabricated Rogeneu Bridge was lifted into place by a mobile crane, writes a reader to the Zuger Zeitung newspaper. "A fatal error in the surveying or construction of the bridge has now resulted in it being positioned at a complete angle to the road." If you were to cross the bridge straight ahead, you would end up in the stream. "A retaining wall along the stream might remedy the situation, but would probably be unacceptable from a water protection perspective," the reader continued. He doesn't know what will happen next. "In any case, work on the bridge was halted on Friday."

What's the reason behind these observations? A call to the construction department in Unterägeri provides clarity.

No irregularities known
Marc Lutzmann, head of the construction department, reacted with surprise. "I'm not aware of any irregularities in the bridge construction," he said, promising to get back to them after a personal inspection.

Beforehand, the expert explained what the small Rogeneu Bridge is: It spans the Hüribach stream and connects the municipality of Unterägeri with the hamlets of Rogeneu and Lutischwand, where approximately 50 people live and several businesses and farms are located. People from these neighbourhoods cross the bridge daily on their way to work or school, or while tending their fields. There are no buses in that area.

The new Rogeneu Bridge, photographed facing the Höfnerstrasse, is significantly wider than the old one.         
The access road cannot be widened on the right side.          
The existing roadside is far from the correct boundary of the road parcel, which is marked by the red wooden post. This situation will be rectified as part of the bridge reconstruction               Photos: supplied
 

"At 2.9 metres wide, the old bridge was too narrow for agricultural traffic," says Marc Lutzmann. Tractors had to manoeuvre onto the support brackets just to get across. "This compromised the bridge's structural integrity. Vehicles weighing over 16 tons were no longer permitted to use it." The municipality therefore decided to construct a wider replacement bridge at a cost of CHF 600,000.

Boundary lines are being adjusted
After inspecting the site, the expert reassured everyone. "To the untrained eye, the bridge may appear to be in the wrong place, but it was constructed and installed as planned." This impression arises because the road curves slightly towards the new bridge, and the boundaries of the adjacent properties had to be respected. "In addition, the bridge was raised by approximately 30 centimetres due to the risk of flooding."

The road will be adjusted and resurfaced in 20-metre sections within the existing road boundaries. Once all the construction work is completed, which is expected by the end of April, the road will lead directly over the bridge.

"A geogrid will be installed to secure the steep slope towards the stream," added Marc Lutzmann. "This will be a partially-vegetated retaining and protective wall."