GERMANY: Moselle Viaduct - bridge over river Mosel

The Moselle Viaduct (German: Moseltalbrücke) carries the Bundesautobahn 61 over a meander of the river Mosel, connecting the Hunsrück and Eifel mountain ranges.

It was built between 1969 and 1972 between the German villages Winningen and Dieblich, about 10 kilometres southwest of Koblenz, where the river Mosel flows into the river Rhine.

The road deck is 935 meters (3,068 ft) long and 30.5 meters (100 ft) wide. It rests 136 metres (446 ft) above the valley's lowest point.

At the time of construction, it was world's tallest motorway bridge.

At the north side of the bridge is a rest area on both sides of the road with an observation site overlooking the Mosel valley and the bridge. One can walk underneath the road deck to the rest area on the opposite side.

Inside the steel deck is a cavity which can be filled with explosives to blow up the entire bridge in case of a war.

April 25 & May 1, 2012