B101 bridge in Großenhain: demolition has begun

The demolition of the B101 bridge in the south of Großenhain (district of Meißen), which has been closed since Wednesday, has begun. The work is being carried out around the clock and should be completed by Sunday, as Lars Roßmann, Head of the Civil Engineering and Innovation Department at the State Office for Road Construction and Transport, said during an appointment on site. At the moment, they are even "a little ahead of schedule".

From December 24, rail traffic on the Berlin-Dresden line, which passes under the bridge, will be able to flow again. Trains will be rerouted via Priestewitz until the demolition is complete.

A special inspection on Wednesday revealed that the structure can no longer be opened to traffic. "The condition of the structure, existing cracks and samples taken indicate a risk to the load-bearing capacity," the state office announced. The bridge has been closed since then.

A detour has been set up for motorized traffic via the S81 and S177. "Of course, this is not good for the region," said Roßmann. According to him, around 10,000 vehicles a day pass through the B101, with 1,000 per hour at peak times.

Bridge with a "technical history": cracks discovered as early as 2003

"The bridge has a technical history," said Roßmann. As with the Dresden Carola Bridge, which partially collapsed in September, and the closed bridges in Bad Schandau, it is a prestressed concrete bridge with Henningsdorf steel.

According to Roßmann, problematic cracks were first discovered in 2003 during a main inspection. During a building material inspection five years later, it became clear that "the durability of the structure" was no longer guaranteed. According to Roßmann, a number of cracks have appeared since the last main inspection last year. The stability can no longer be proven mathematically, even without traffic.

Replacement construction can be implemented quickly

Replacement construction can be implemented comparatively quickly, as a planning approval decision has already been issued due to the damage that has been known for years. The "ultimate goal" is to start construction work as early as next year, with completion possible within one construction season. According to an initial estimate, the costs are around three million euros.

Preparations for demolition

The state office had already made preparations for a possible demolition before the inspection date in order to be able to act quickly and prevent the railroad line from being closed for weeks. A demolition company had already been sought a week ago, said Roßmann. Advance work was also necessary on the part of the railroad. "The railroad gave us great support and brought in technology from all over Germany."

Nine excavators, two crawlers and three wheel loaders are now being used on the construction site. They are removing 3,000 tons of sand, 150 construction road plates and 200 sheet piles, which are used to cover pipes.

Special inspections will be completed in the first quarter of 2025

Following the partial collapse of Dresden's Carola Bridge in September, the Free State of Bavaria is taking a close look at bridges of the same type along federal and state roads. The focus is on 19 structures in particular. According to Roßmann, these special inspections should be completed in the first quarter of 2025.

All 19 bridges are so-called prestressed concrete bridges from the 1960s to 1980s. This type of construction is at risk of damage due to corrosion in the prestressing steel, which can suddenly lead to failure under certain conditions. This is considered to be the cause of the partial collapse of the Carola Bridge.

In addition to the B101 bridge in Großenhain, three other bridges have been inspected so far. The first result was the closure of the Bad Schandau Elbe bridge on November 7 due to longitudinal cracks in the so-called lower span, another bridge was closed there at the beginning of December. The inspection of the Agra Bridge has begun, and reliable results are not expected until mid-January at the earliest.