A countryside project

Anyone travelling by car between Eching and Garching has to drive over a bridge that is truly unique in Germany. This striking wooden structure stretches over the Echinger See, a lake situated in a recreational area in Upper Bavaria.

A complex project as this site is also a special area of conservation protected by strict environmental standards. In no way were the soil, water, flora and fauna allowed to be negatively impacted by the work. What’s more, there had to be as little disturbance as possible for the people visiting this popular recreational destination – i.e. they should be able to continue to pass under the 40-metre bridge and not by troubled by building noise.

Faced with these unusual conditions, XERVON compiled a project-specific QHSE handbook that covered both the scaffolding and the surface technology work. A freestanding scaffold was erected with a work platform and temporary device for catching any falling debris. The whole structure was then enclosed in dustproof netting to ensure that it met the stringent conservation standards. The old paint was first removed from the wooden sections of the bridge using wet blasting equipment that had been specially developed for preserving and restoring monuments. XERVON then applied two coats of anti-mould paint followed by three coats of paint. Their final task was to renew the protective coating on the bridge’s metal railings. Fully renovated, the bridge is now well protected for the next 30 years – and can continue to be admired as one of the region’s most well-known landmarks.