Timber Bridge, Schiers, Switzerland

Schiers, a rural Alpine village, needed to replace a river crossing as part of a forest development project. The existing steel truss bridge, built in 1911 with a bearing capacity of 4 tons and which had replaced an earlier wooden bridge, no longer met contemporary standards and needs. Besides providing increased bearing capacity, it was also desired that the new bridge should be of modern design. Economy of construction and maintenance were important considerations, too, as was the wish for the bridge to have a long service life. After studying various proposals and taking many criteria into consideration, the local community once again opted for a timber bridge.