Work continues on Carola Bridge after flooding

After the Elbe flood waters recede, work on Dresden's partially collapsed Carola Bridge will continue this Wednesday. Specifically, the work will initially focus on the affected bridge section C. It collapsed on the night of September 11 for reasons that are still unknown. In addition, the supply of district heating is to be further secured with a view to the colder season.

According to the city, a so-called drop bed is to be set up on the Terrassenufer from Monday. It is intended to catch the bridge section still hanging at an angle on the Old Town side. Its demolition is planned from October 7. "We will continue to work intensively on the detailed plan until the actual demolition of the bridge sections begins. It is important to secure the media lines on the terrace bank and coordinate further material sampling on train C to investigate the cause," the city announced.

New pipes for district heating transport

The partial collapse of the Carola Bridge also irreparably destroyed one of two main district heating supply lines between the two sides of the Elbe. Since then, the district heating had been transported through thinner pipes to the north-east of Dresden. "When temperatures drop, more district heating has to be transported through our network to keep the apartments warm. We need large pipes for these quantities," emphasized Rutger Kretschmer, Head of the Power and Heat business area at SachsenEnergie.

In a first step, the damaged pipes at Carolaplatz are to be repaired. This will allow more district heating to flow through the pipes at the same pressure in the same amount of time. Starting next week, SachsenEnergie will be laying 300 meters of new district heating pipes with a diameter of 50 centimeters at Carolaplatz, directly at the Neustadt bridgehead. This will close the district heating connection between the two banks of the Königsufer again.

In addition to streetcar tracks, a cycle and footpath ran across bridge section C. There are car lanes on the other two strands. The entire bridge has been closed since the parts collapsed.