Skip to main content

Autobahn bridge in Bavaria demolished with explosives (VIDEO)

A demolition contractor in the north of Bavaria recently used 200kg of explosives to demolish an old autobahn viaduct. Situated close to the town of Bad Kissingen and to the north of the city of Nuremberg, the 46 year old A7 viaduct had reached the end of its working life and a new structure had been built alongside in this scenic rural area. Pre-weakening work had been carried out using hydraulic breakers along with drilling the necessary blastholes, to ensure the supports and deck collapsed in a controlle
July 1, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
A demolition contractor in the north of Bavaria recently used 200kg of explosives to demolish an old autobahn viaduct. Situated close to the town of Bad Kissingen and to the north of the city of Nuremberg, the 46 year old A7 viaduct had reached the end of its working life and a new structure had been built alongside in this scenic rural area. Pre-weakening work had been carried out using hydraulic breakers along with drilling the necessary blastholes, to ensure the supports and deck collapsed in a controlled fashion. Traffic on the new viaduct was halted briefly by the police for the duration of the blast, which was carried out safely and successfully by the contractor. An enterprising local farmer had clearly allowed spectators to congregate in a field on the nearby hillside to watch the demolition, while coffee and beer were being sold to those with a thirst.

Related Content

  • Demolition underway on bridge structure in Cleveland, Ohio
    June 9, 2014
    Demolition work is progressing on track on the old Innerbelt Bridge in the US city of Cleveland and spanning the Cuyahoga River. At present a demolition contractor is breaking up the structure in stages, using cutting gear and cranes to remove portions of the bridge in a phased programme of works. Once the demolition moves to a certain stage in a few months, the contractor will then be able to use explosives to demolish the remaining structure. Four of the truss bridge’s nine spans are being dismantled usi
  • Three Colombian bridge projects commencing
    January 17, 2019
    In Colombia progress is being seen on three major bridge projects located in different parts of the country. Construction of the new Pumajero Bridge is well in hand and is expected to be complete before the end of 2019. The new PumajeroBbridge will be 2,247m in length and have 990m of viaduct connections and access, as well as two three-lane carriageways on each side. Once the new bridge is open to traffic, the old cable-stayed concrete link between Baranquilla and Sitionuevo will be demolished. The new
  • The Lessons of the Genoa bridge collapse
    April 23, 2019
    The partial collapse of the Polcevera viaduct, better known as the Morandi Bridge, has prompted debate regarding the technical and administrative aspects of maintaining road infrastructures. We discussed it with the engineer Gabriele Camomilla, former Director of Research and Maintenance of the Società Autostrade, who coordinated the only major structural intervention performed on the bridge, carried out in the early 1990s
  • Bavarian Autobahn bridge repairs
    March 11, 2019
    Austrian contractor STRABAG is heading a consortium that will carry out bridge upgrades on the busy A9 Autobahn connecting Nuremburg with Munich in Bavaria, southern Germany. The eight bridges between the Nuremburg/Feucht interchange and the Hipoltstein junction will be demolished and replaced with new structures. The deal is worth € 38 million and will be handled by the consortium comprising STRABAG, subdivision Bavaria North, and Ed Züblin, Subdivision Bridge Construction. The client for the project is Au