Samples are now to be taken from above for the first time at the Elbe bridge in Bad Schandau, which has been closed since the beginning of November. The preparations in the area of the road surface will be carried out this week, as announced by the State Office for Road Construction and Transport. The asphalt will first be broken up in places and the concrete structure examined.
In order to identify areas where the condition of the concrete, steel and prestressing steel could be critical due to de-icing salts and leakage problems, and to obtain indications of local damage, so-called potential field measurements were carried out in advance. Sampling of selected tendons is planned for the coming week. The sampling points are to be closed again at the end of February.
Bridge closed since November
The Elbe bridge in Bad Schandau was unexpectedly closed on November 7 for safety reasons. Ships can now pass again without restriction, but road traffic is still being diverted.
This was preceded by a special inspection following the partial collapse of Dresden's Carola Bridge, during which longitudinal cracks were found in the so-called lower span. Henningsdorf prestressing steel is used in both structures. As the bridge in Bad Schandau was built immediately after the Carola Bridge using a similar construction method, it is similarly at risk of stress corrosion cracking, which is considered to be the cause of the collapse in Dresden.
Since the closure began, investigations have been underway on the structure in Bad Schandau. So far, samples have only been taken from below, as a spokeswoman explained. A load test in April should provide more clarity about the load-bearing capacity. From the end of April or beginning of May, car and light truck traffic up to 3.5 tons as well as special trips for buses could be possible, if the results allow it. A temporary temporary bridge is currently being planned and will not be completed until early 2026 at the earliest.
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