The remains of Dresden's Carola Bridge, which are in acute danger of collapsing, are to be demolished in June using a special technical process in bridge construction. Preparations for this will begin after completion of the current explosive ordnance investigation and will take nine weeks, according to the city's building authority. By June, a supporting structure will have been erected and the parts of the destroyed and partially demolished bridge that still protrude into the water will have been secured. After that, the middle sections of the still standing routes A and B can be separated, placed on pontoons, floated out and dismantled on the riverbank.
Costs of up to 18 million euros
The aim is for the Elbe to be free for shipping again in the summer, among other things. The city is doing everything it can to ensure navigation on the federal waterway and to fulfill the state treaty with the Czech Republic for free access to the sea, said Dresden's Lord Mayor Dirk Hilbert (FDP). The city estimates the costs for this at up to 18 million euros. "We expect the federal government to support us in clearing the shipping channel quickly," said Construction Mayor Stephan Kühn (Greens).
The western traffic line of the Carola Bridge collapsed unexpectedly on the night of 11 September 2024 over a length of around 100 meters. Since then, the two trains still standing on the structure from the GDR era have been closed. The destroyed section of the Elbe crossing and important north-south link, which is also crossed by a federal highway, has been demolished for weeks. In view of further prestressing steel fractures in the structure since the beginning of the year, there is now also an acute risk of collapse for the two still intact traffic lines - experts are urging a quick complete demolition.
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