It was with great pleasure that we welcomed the participants of this year’s field trip organised by the Institute of Structural Analysis and Building Dynamics (IBB) at the University of Stuttgart to three of our project sites.

At the Pfaffendorfer Bridge in Koblenz, participants could see the steelwork of the three already completed haunches – the so-called strut eyes – as well as the temporary structures for the partial sliding operation, which is due to take place in two weeks’ time.

On the morning of the second day, we already had a magnificent view of the Duisburg-Neuenkamp Rhine Bridge from the hotel. What makes this site special is that the first of the two bridge structures has already been completed, whilst the second is still under construction. This means that visitors can simultaneously view the cable-stayed bridge with the longest span in Germany – as well as the construction stage featuring a 55-metre cantilever and an open box girder.

We would also like to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt thanks to MCE GmbH for their support and excellent guidance during the excursion.

The Leverkusen Rhine Bridge was the final stop on our excursion. Here too – just like at the Duisburg Rhine Bridge – we had the opportunity to see the twin bridges in two different stages at the same time: under construction and in their final state. We were able to watch live as the 3.5-tonne bearing was installed on axis 10 and as spans 1–3 were welded together, which will then be slid into place in May.

A big thank you to SEH Engineering GmbH for accompanying us and guiding us around the site.

The excursion was accompanied by Isabel Ajjour. She ist the project lead for these 3 major projects and facilitated detailed insights and answered all of the students' questions regarding the structural planning and construction.

We enjoyed the great interest and excitement of the students and wish everyone great success in their ongoing studies.

Pictures: LAP, group picture: University of Stuttgart, IBB