Railway bridge in Dresden: Ornament breaks out - road closed!

Railway bridge in Dresden: Ornament breaks out - road closed!

Bischofsplatz, 01099 Dresden, Deutschland - on Tuesday evening, around 9:30 p.m., a not everyday event happened in the Dresden Neustadt: an ornament about 40 centimeters has broken out of the railway bridge on the Bischofsplatz. This piece is probably made of sandstone and, fortunately, did not require any injuries. The police then blocked the road along the underpass until the problem was fixed for all traffic. The road was only released at around 11.30 p.m.

What exactly led to the outbreak of ornament remains unclear. Deutsche Bahn was immediately on site to evaluate the situation and, if necessary, take measures. According to Sächsische Germany.

bridges in Germany - a topic in need of renovation

In the entire federal territory, there are estimated 130,000 bridges, each 7 to 8. Many buildings are currently particularly in the spotlight, which were built especially between 1960 and 1985. A worrying example is the Nossener Bridge in Dresden, which has had cracks in the welds since 2019. From December, two out of four traces are to be blocked to prevent further damage. A step in this regard is also necessary, since three cracks, including an impressive tear of 27 cm in length, were found during a special test at the end of October 2024. If cracks of 30 cm are exceeded, this can result in considerable traffic restrictions, since limiting the axle loads must be prescribed. The necessary repairs are only possible from April 2025, while a major project for the construction of the entire Nossener Bridge is being planned.

Not only the Nossener Bridge needs attention. Budapester Straße, also a clamping concrete bridge from 1967, is subjected to an extended examination due to security concerns. This is done as part of a special test that was arranged after the carol bridge was partially collapsed. Weaknesses should be recognized with innovative measurement techniques such as sound emission measurements and fiber -optical stretch measurements. The expansion of the measuring systems has been running since May 2024, whereby the Marx company was commissioned.

The financial challenges

The search for financial means for repairing and building bridges in Germany is a big challenge. By 2030, investments of a total of 11 billion euros have to be expected for the renovation of bridges. This is of crucial importance, since many bridges, especially railway bridges, have exceeded their useful life and are no longer potentially no longer safe. According to the current figures, around 1,000 railway structures in the Federal Republic of Germany are over 100 years old and urgently need to be renovated or replaced. Deutsche Bahn alone is planning to modernize a total of 2,000 bridges by 2029.

The replacement value of the railway bridges amounts to 7.7 billion euros, which underlines the urgency of the investments. In view of the fact that around 70 % of the bridges on federal highway and clamping concrete are made, a quick action is required to protect safety in road traffic. A lack of financing makes the proactive preservation of the infrastructure, with the invoice stations of the federal states note that there is a significant investment backlog here. A report on Baunetzwerk emphasizes that there should be a need for annual investments of up to 15.2 million euros by 2030 to ensure the safety of the bridges.

The current developments related to the bridges in Germany clarify that there is an urgent need for action. The events in Dresden are a clear indication of the challenges that many cities expect nationwide as long as the necessary measures are not taken to secure and renewal.