Schnelles Bauen durch Standardisierung und Vorfertigung – Straßenbrücken in Modulbauweise.

Fast construction using standardization and prefabrication In the future, construction within existing structures will be the standard construction method in the German road network. In this context, it is all the more important to reduce traffic restrictions as far as possible and to minimize the associated increased risk of accidents, economic consequences (congestion costs) and ecological impacts (environmental pollution). A short construction time combined with high level of quality is therefore desirable in many ways. An important element in this connection is building with standardized and prefabricated components. Due to the large number of regulations, specification drawings and existing rules in the field of bridge construction, in principle, this area of civil engineering is predestined for standardized construction methods. Nevertheless, in contrast to some neighboring countries, the precast construction method has been used less frequently in bridge building in recent decades. The market situation of the past decades allowed builders to design structures as one‐offs and produce them with cast‐in‐place concrete, taking advantage of a seemingly unlimited pool of engineers and skilled workers. The argument was that prefabricated bridges per se are less successful in terms of design. However, with the large number of bridges for which this aspect plays a subordinated role, this should not be decisive. Ultimately, there are many ecological and economic reasons for opening up to the modular construction method as presented below. Even more so, if bridge construction should play its part in a sustainable change in the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]