the repurposing of a rail bridge element as a footbridge
h bridge
The renovation of a major bridge structure of Budapest, the Southern Railway Link Bridge was carried out between 2019-2022. The old and fatiqued bridge had to be completely replaced with new superstructures, leaving 2x4 pieces of truss steel structure with 97-98 m spans to decay.
Even though the structure was no longer fit to bear railway freight traffic, it was perfectly suited to function as a footbridge. We saw this as a great opportunity and imagined a new life to a 74,5 m long section in a new location in northern Budapest.
The „H Bridge” would connect the cultural complex at Zichy Castle with the greenery of Hajógyári Island, providing a missing pedestrian access from residential and mixed use neighborhoods of the Buda side - areas that are currently completely cut off from the waterfront by the suburban railway line H5.
The accessible, two story design enables pedestrians to cross over the Danube branch from the lower as well as the upper embankment with ease.
With detailed designs and architectural documentation complete, the project was ready to be implemented.
Architect design partner: BFS.
Parameters
Location
Budapest, HU
Year of design
2022
Status
Fabrication design complete
Material
Recycled steel
Function
Pedestrian
No. of spans:
2
Length
111 m
Structure
Repurposed truss bridge
Length of recycled structure
74,5 m
services
Design from conceptual to fabrication design phase, bridge & structural design, cycle road & walkway design, utility & drainage design, geotechnical analysis
Architectural design by BFS
design process & bim
During the design of the reuse of the existing bridge structure, we used cutting-edge 3D technologies. We used LYDAR laser technology to assess the existing truss superstructure, FEM software to prepare the static calculations, and TEKLA Structures BIM modeling was carried out to prepare the steel construction plans. Matching the nodes of the existing structure a priority during the process, which was ensured by a close coordination between all softwares.
