Explosive ordnance sounding at Carola Bridge - 79 suspected cases

A total of 79 suspected explosive devices have already been found during explosive ordnance probes in the area of Dresden's partially collapsed Carola Bridge. However, only one of these was a "real explosive device" - a hand grenade, said Holger Kalbe, head of the bridge and engineering structures department in the state capital.

According to him, the other items found were various metal objects, such as bomb splinters, but also a teapot. The workers also discovered the remains of the old Carola Bridge, which was completed at the end of the 19th century.

How the explosive ordnance probe in the Elbe is proceeding

First of all, an area on the Neustädter Ufer directly next to the still standing bridge trains A and B was investigated. Since last week, sounding work has also been underway in the Elbe. Excavators reinforced with armored discs are being used, guided by a firefighter who is trained in the removal of explosive ordnance. He first searches the ground using a magnet, then removes a layer with the excavator shovel and searches again with the magnet. A drone with a metal detector will also be used to support the work if the relevant permit is obtained.

Preparations for the bridge demolition

After the explosive ordnance survey has been completed, which according to Kalbe will take at least another two weeks, preparations will begin for the demolition of the bridge sections that are still standing. By June, supporting structures for the bridge sections will be erected over the banks on both sides of the Elbe and the parts of the destroyed and partially demolished bridge that are still protruding into the water will be secured. After that, the middle sections of routes A and B above the river can be cut off, placed on pontoons, floated out and dismantled on the banks. This will be followed by the demolition of the remaining bridge sections on the other side of the navigation channel.

Bridge closed since partial collapse in September

The western traffic section of the Carola Bridge collapsed unexpectedly on the night of 11 September 2024 over a length of around 100 meters. Since then, the two remaining trains 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 main road, 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.