Drama in Saxony: Carola Bridge collapsed in Dresden – possible cause corrosion

• Dresden's Carola Bridge partially collapsed
• Terrace banks partially completely flooded
• First clues as to the cause of the collapse
• District heating supply failed throughout the city
• Police currently assume it was an accident

Part of the Carola Bridge in Dresden collapsed into the Elbe during the night. The collapse affected the pedestrian and cycle path as well as the tram tracks, a spokesman for the situation center said in the morning. According to the Fire department Dresden is concerned with a length of 100 meters.

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Shocking incident in Dresden: Carola Bridge partially collapsed

A gap of around one meter has formed on the bridgehead on the Old Town side. There was also a strong hot water leak from the bridgehead on the Old Town side, as the Dresden fire department announced. The leaked water partially flooded the terrace bank. The emergency services have cordoned off the entire area around the Carola Bridge and the bridge itself. “The experts from the individual trades, the city administration and all partners involved are currently meeting to discuss the next steps,” the fire department said.

Fire brigade warns of “acute danger of collapse” at Carola Bridge

The fire service is currently assuming that the heavily damaged Carola Bridge in Dresden is in acute danger of collapsing. “We expect that further parts of the bridge could collapse,” said a fire service spokesman on site on Wednesday morning. He called on people to stay away from the bridge if possible. “There is a risk to life” on and around the bridge, it said.

Police consider bridge collapse to be an accident

The police are currently assuming that the partial collapse of the Carola Bridge in Dresden was an accident. There are no indications of external influences, said a spokesman. Police officers were among the first to arrive on the scene when parts of the bridge collapsed into the Elbe in the middle of the night. The officers were working nearby as security guards and initially heard the noise of the bridge parts collapsing, said the spokesman.

Collapse of the Carola Bridge – possible cause corrosion

Now there are initial indications of the possible cause of the collapse. According to them, the collapse of part of the Carola Bridge in Dresden could have been caused by corrosion. “We had massive chloride ingress here during the GDR era,” said Holger Kalbe, head of the bridge and civil engineering department at the city of Dresden. At the point where the bridge section collapsed during the night, there was a public transport mast. It is conceivable “that massive chlorides penetrated at that point and led to corrosion of the reinforcement inside the bridge,” said Kalbe.

District heating supply failed throughout the city

What is particularly bitter for many Dresden residents is that the district heating supply is currently out of service across the entire city. “The outage could last the entire day,” said a fire department spokesman. The operator is working “at full speed” to solve the problem. The fire department issued a corresponding notification via the federal modular warning system. No one was injured in the incident. The Dresden fire department is calling on the population to avoid the area as much as possible and to allow the emergency services free access.

Dresden public transport company announces diversions

The Dresden public transport company said that there was no tram on the bridge. This meant that no passengers and no vehicles were injured. Lines 3 and 7 run there every hour on weekdays, including at night. The southern half of the bridge is affected, which spans Terrassenufer Street and a section of the Elbe. Various diversions are in place. The Dresden public transport company will provide information about diversions on X.

+++ Carola Bridge closed due to partial collapse. Tram lines 3, 7 and 8 are diverted. Li. 3 diversion between Bf. Neustadt Hansastr. and Walpurgisstr. via Anton/ Leipziger Str. – Augustus Bridge – Postplatz. (1/2) +++

— DVB AG (@DVBAG) 11 September 2024

+++ (2/2) Li. 7 diversion between Albertplatz and Walpurgisstraße via Neustadt station – Congress Center – Postplatz and Prager Str. Diversion Li. 8 between Albertplatz and Neustädter Markt via Neustadt station and Anton./ Leipziger Straße +++

— DVB AG (@DVBAG) 11 September 2024

Collapsed bridge should be renovated in 2025

Particularly explosive: The collapsed bridge section of the Carola Bridge in Dresden was to be renovated next year. Around 8.4 million euros were budgeted for this. This is according to information provided by the city in response to a request from the Links. Other parts of the bridge were only opened to traffic in March 2024 after months of renovation. The city of Dresden writes this on its website. The renovation of the middle bridge section was fully completed with the installation of the railings at the beginning of June 2024. The construction costs amounted to around 4.1 million euros. The renovation of the third bridge section, the eastern one, was already completed in June 2021.

The Carola Bridge is one of the most important bridges in Dresden

The Carola Bridge is one of the most important bridges in Dresden. It has lanes for cars, trams, cyclists and pedestrians. According to a traffic count from September 2023, 27,100 vehicles drove over the bridge every day, according to city documents. However, it should be noted that at that time one section of the bridge was closed for renovation work. In September 2022, 31,300 vehicles were counted per day. The Carola Bridge is considered one of the most important traffic arteries for Dresden's city center.

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