Dresden: Construction committee drama for the new Carol Bridge! Traffic in the terminal!

Dresden: Construction committee drama for the new Carol Bridge! Traffic in the terminal!

In the construction committee of the city of Dresden, there was an intensive discussion about the reconstruction of the Carol Bridge, which dragged on until after 10 p.m. However, the session ended without agreement, although a fundamental decision by the city council for June 2025 is due. Sächsische reports that a majority for the restoration of four lanes on the new bridge were accepted before the session. However, this was questioned by the Greens, who considered only two traces of sufficient, as well as the SPD, which advocated three traces.

The Mayor Dirk Hilbert (FDP) is to be commissioned to start the planning process for a replacement building. It is planned that four to five bidders, consisting of engineers and architects, will present designs from which a jury will select. A special meeting of the building committee is scheduled for June 16 to comply with the narrow time frame, since the council meeting takes place on June 19th.

public demonstrations and variety of opinion

In a crucial turn, Holger Zastrow made the application for adjacation during the meeting, since he saw clarification needs on numerous points. These uncertainties contribute to the complicated negotiation atmosphere in which relevant traffic forecasts for the bridge play a central role.

causes of the bridge fall

The reconstruction of the bridge is overshadowed by the analysis of the causes of the accident, which was carried out by an independent team of experts under the direction of Prof. Steffen Marx. According to reports from Dresden.de it was found that the tension corrosion, caused by hydrogen and material fatigue, had already occurred during the construction of the bridge opened in 1971. These damage was so significant that the restart of bridge trains A and B is no longer possible.

The expert team has created detailed analyzes of the damage to the bridge and the city of Dresden has commissioned corresponding special report. These incidents have illustrated the urgent need for new buildings and modernizations in bridge construction.

bridge construction in the German context

In Germany there are currently around 39,500 bridges on the network of federal highways, many of which were built between 1965 and 1985. As in the report of the bmv , the modernization of older bridges is necessary to meet the increased transport requirements. The Carol Bridge in particular is an example of the challenges associated with the maintenance and renewal of the transport infrastructure.

The upcoming decisions about the new bridge at the Carol Bridge will therefore not only be important for the city of Dresden, but also in the context of the national bridge building policy.