Upcycling of a Railway Bridge - a Sustainable Approach to Transform Obsolete Bridge Structures

The reconstruction of the Southern Railway Danube bridge in Budapest was carried out between 2019 and 2022. Due to the increased railway traffic, stringer beams suffered serious fatigue damage in the past decades and ultimately the superstructures had to be completely replaced, leaving two, nearly 400 m long steel truss structures to decay. However, the dismantled 98-meter span truss bridge elements, with significant residual load-bearing capacity, were still suitable for reuse as footbridges.Budapest's pedestrian and bicycle network has numerous connectivity deficiencies in need of addressing, that has been recognized for decades. Parallel with the demolition works of the old bridge structures, our multidisciplinary design team designated a 74.5-meter section for reuse, and selected a suitable location within the city with a high demand for connectivity. A new direct pedestrian connection over the Óbuda Danube branch would greatly improve the viability of residential areas.The demolition plans and technology were successfully modified in collaboration with the Contractor to ensure that the selected bridge element remains most suitable for its site-specific reuse.The design of the 111 m long structure, combined with a lightweight two-story steel deck serves as a contemporary, forward-looking example of the reuse of aging structures while also providing solutions to a pressing issue from an urban perspective.