Stefan Bryła – Polish Creator of the First Welded Road Bridges

Abstract

<p>The first two welded road bridges in Poland were designed by Stefan Bryła, Professor at the technological universities in Lwów and later in Warsaw. The bridges became operational in 1929 and 1931, respectively. The first bridge is of a truss structure and is the first welded structure of this type in Europe, and indeed the world’s first road welded truss bridge. It became a listed monument in 1968. It was in service up to 1977, when it was relocated due to insufficient horizontal clearance. The second bridge is of a plate girder structure and it is still operational. The two welded road bridges are located over the Słudwia river near Łowicz, central Poland. In 2019, ninety years have passed since the first welded bridge in Poland became operational, while December 2018 saw the 75th anniversary of Professor Stefan Bryła’s tragic death. To mark these occasions, this paper briefly presents the Professor’s design and structural work, and discusses the stories of the first two welded bridges in Poland.</p>