The news that a busy road bridge in the German city of Magdeburg has had to be closed to traffic should come as no surprise. This follows the collapse of the Carola Bridge in Dresden last year.
A close examination of the Magdeburg bridge had revealed it to be in a critical condition and it was closed immediately to vehicle traffic as well as pedestrians. The bridge at Damaschkeplatz will be demolished and replaced by a new structure, with a temporary bridge being erected for use in the short term. The inspection was carried out on the Magdeburg bridge after the collapse of the similar Carola Bridge in Dresden.
In all, four bridges on the busy Magdeburg Ring will have to be improved. This is likely to cause immense traffic disruption in the city for the four years the upgrade work will take. A report shows that 141 bridges in Saxony-Anhalt need major works to bring them up to standard.
There is data that around 16,000 bridges that are the responsibility of the German Federal Government are in an inadequate state of repair. According to the T&E report, carrying out the necessary work for federal, state and municipal bridges will cost as much as €100 billion. by 2030, mainly along the trans-European transport network (TEN-T)
The ministry's rehabilitation plan includes work for 4,000 bridges for Germany’s highway network to be replaced by 2030, with a focus on structures forming part of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T). However, a further 4,000 motorway bridges will need to be improved in the future.
Additional reporting for this news item was provided by Global Highways' German correspondent, Petra Schwimmbeck.
