Kocher Viaduct

On the Kocher Viaduct (German: Kochertalbrücke) near Schwäbisch Hall in Germany the Autobahn 6 crosses the Kocher valley between Heilbronn and Nuremberg. With its maximum height of 185m above the valley bottom, it is the highest viaduct in Germany, and was also the bridge with the tallest pillars in the world before the Millau Viaduct, France was completed in 2004.

Kocher Viaduct Kochertalbrücke
Coordinates	49°10′39″N 9°47′09″E / 49.177543°N 9.785833°E / 49.177543; 9.785833
Carries	Autobahn 6
Crosses	Kocher valley
Characteristics
Total length	1,128 metres (3,701 ft)
Width	31 metres (102 ft)
Height	178 metres (584 ft)
Clearance below	185 metres (607 ft)
History
Construction start	1976
Construction end	1979
Location

The nine spans of this prestressed concrete girder bridge cover a length of 1128m, the individual span lengths being 81m for the outer two and 138m for the remaining seven. Pillar height varies from 40m to 178m. The bridge table is 31m wide. Construction was from 1976 to 1979.

A museum in the village of Geislingen am Kocher below the bridge (visits by prior appointment) not only tells the bridge's story but also displays dinosaur fossils found during the construction of the motorway.