Trift Bridge

46.6944861111118.35751720Koordinaten: 46 ° 41 ' 40.2 " N, 8 ° 21' 27" E; CH1903: 670282/171885

Mountain trail mountain station Triftbahn ( Unteri drift ) - Trifthütte

Drift water

The Drift Bridge is a pedestrian cable-stayed bridge along the lines of Nepalese three rope bridges that crosses the Trifttal, a tributary of the Gadmentals in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, the drift of water. The drift bridge is one of the longest and highest pedestrian suspension bridges in the Alps.

History

Previously filed the tongue of the glacier drift up into the canyon drift and so allowed the climbers to cross on the way to Trifthütte the gorge over the glacier. As early as 1996 it was foreseeable that this path would soon no longer be passable, as the glaciers retreated rapidly. Above the gorge formed a lake, which had to be circumvented.

2004 a first bridge was built. After a short time, but it turned out that the bridge tended by the wind turbulence at Föhnstürmen in the canyon drift to dangerous swings. This also resulted in frequent damage to walking surface and suspension. Originally intended for mountaineers, the bridge was a tourist magnet and attracted after the KWO had made their work accessible cable car to the public, now also ill-equipped hikers. For these, both sides exposed additions were also a risk. For these reasons, it was planned in the fall of 2008 to build a new bridge, which should satisfy the changing needs.

At slightly offset to the north and 30 m higher position so arose in the spring of 2009 in just six weeks of construction, the new drift bridge which has a safer and more easily reachable web access. With tension cables can withstand extreme wind conditions better. The only five -year-old bridge was dismantled, with completion of the new and received in June 2010 in Göschenertal as Salbitbrücke a new location.

If you want to go to Trifthütte, the drift bridge has to be crossed. One of the ascent routes to Windegghütte leads past the west end of the bridge, without having to commit to it.

Specifications

The new bridge is now easily accessible from both sides. Further, the walkway was made ​​safer by horizontal ropes by lateral timbers and the railing. With two sloping downward tension ropes the wind forces are counteracted. The two supporting cables run left and right on sidewalk level, a further two supporting cables form the handrails. The upper and lower supporting cables are connected by vertical steel fittings with each other, which also serve as guides for the horizontal railing hurry. The support cables are 24 rock anchors held with depth of 2.5 m each, each of which has been tested with 18 tons tensile load. The eastern bridgehead is about 16 m higher than the western.

Pictures

Rope structure in the early light

Eastern rope anchor

Sidewalk construction from bottom

View of the drift water