Pedestrian Bridge Over Türr-channel Baja, Hungary: A Unique Arch Bridge Design

The Danube has a side branch in Baja, the Sugovica, from where the Türr-Channel opens. An innovative pedestrian bridge over the Türr-Channel in Baja, Hungary was opened for traffic in 2015. Bridging over the navigable channel faced serious difficulties due to the high flood level and significant ship traffic. The preliminary studies investigated movable and high positioned deck variations. The completed structure has 62 m span. The upper deck arch bridge is made of steel tube arches filled with concrete and rc. slab for the deck. Minimal structural height was necessary in the midspan to ensure the shipping clearance so the arch has the same plane as the deck in the midpoint. According to the high flood level and low clearance, the safety of the structure is ensured by filling concrete in the main girder tubes. The fabrication segments were assembled at site to 3 crane segments and were lifted to the temporary supports in the river. The concrete abutments became the part of the flood protection system. The unique shell-like cross girders and the slender arch gave a delightful bridge, which became the new symbol of the city. The bridge was built on sand with horizontally bended piles so the calculation had to examine the soil-structure iteration. The dynamic parameters were tested by dynamic load tests with the help of large group of people and with dropped truck.