Demolition of destroyed part of the Carola Bridge by the end of March

As things stand, the demolition of the collapsed section of the Carola Bridge will continue until the end of March. The controlled passage for shipping has been guaranteed since February 3, according to the building authorities. "For months, the companies commissioned by the Road and Civil Engineering Office and all the authorities involved have been working flat out to make the waterway usable again."

Czech Minister of Transport on site

According to the city hall, Czech Minister of Transport Martin Kupka visited the site on Thursday to find out about the situation. Continuous navigation has been interrupted since the partial collapse of the structure on 11 September 2024 and a very important waterway for the neighboring country is not navigable. Important goods that can only be transported by water cannot enter the country or leave it for the North Sea - the Elbe is the Czech Republic's only access to the sea.

Hilbert criticizes lack of interest in Berlin

The fact that Kupka informed himself personally once again underlines the extent of the bridge collapse, said Lord Mayor Dirk Hilbert (FDP). In Prague, the issue is "obviously bigger than in Berlin". The Federal Ministry of Transport had so far responded "negatively" to requests for financial support for the reconstruction, apart from the share for public transport.

A good four months ago, the western traffic line of the Carola Bridge collapsed unexpectedly over a length of around 100 meters. Since then, the two remaining trains of the pre-stressed concrete structure from the GDR era have been closed and shipping has also been interrupted. The White Fleet operated downstream and upstream from the closed section with limited capacity, while inland navigation was suspended.