Bridge Collapse Hitch in Dresden - Elbe's Troublesome Current
Delay in Completion of Carol Bridge over Elbe River Due to Construction Hurdles - The implementation of the project is scheduled for the forthcoming years.
The ongoing demolition of the Carola Bridge, a focal point along Dresden's Elbe River, has hit a snag. Get ready for a dive into the details of this recent turn of events and the challenges faced by the city.
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The journey towards detaching the Carola Bridge has been put on hold due to an unexpected find - a pot-like depression in the Elbe that's around 3 to 4 meters deep. Simone Prüfer, Street and Civil Engineering Office's head, paints the scene as a spot slated for auxiliary ponton support installation, where the extra support was thought to fortify the teetering bridge pieces.
Sludge pit in the river
Actions planned for this week revolved around setting up that very support structure. It's not how the story goes, though. What we require now is to fill that sludge pit. To ease the flow and prevent additional holes from forming, a section in the water near the construction road will be exposed and fitted with a steel arrangement. This setup will allow construction vehicles easy passage.
Next on the roster is the assembly of the hefty support towers scheduled for the following week. The accompanying ponton pieces, already delivered from the Czech Republic, lie in wait on the Old Town bank, poised for their Elbe dive next week along with the support towers, sliding under the joint chasm of the remaining bridge sections on the New Town side.
Pushed, not sidetracked
Despite the hiccup, we're still on track overall, assures Prüfer. We've simply used the downtime to gather all necessary permits, she adds. May's objective of extracting the middle sections of the bridge remains unstirred. "We're still on track to meet deadlines," Prüfer asserted confidently.
Once extracted and shifted off the river, the demolition of the remaining sections beyond safe navigation lanes will follow suit.
A long and bumpy road
On the night of September 11, 2024, the western traffic lane of the Carola Bridge suffered a sudden collapse, covering approximately 100 meters of its length. Since then, the relic from the GDR era, the surviving sections on either side, have been closed to traffic due to recurring reinforcement steel breaks spotted from the turn of the year, making both intact traffic lanes susceptible to collapse[1][2].
- Dresden
- Elbe
- Carola Bridge
- Demolition
Enrichment Data:
General Overview
The current phase of demolishing the Carola Bridge over the Elbe faces temporary interruptions after new fissures were spotted in the bridge parts unaffected by the original September 2024 collapse[1][2]. Notable concern comes from an acoustic emission monitoring system that found these fissures, questioning the bridge's stability and maritime safety[1].
Reasons for Delays
The root cause of these delays is hydrogen-induced stress corrosion, a challenging type of corrosion that goes unnoticed using traditional inspections[2]. This form of corrosion affects hidden components of the steel infrastructure[2], exacerbated by the discovery of WWII-era bombs at the demolition site[2].
Future Outlook
Dresden has enlisted a contractor to accelerate the demolition process, with an aim to complete the work by the year's end[2]. In the interim, precautions are taken to ensure safe maritime passage. Ships are granted restricted transits (9:00-11:00 a.m. daily), subject to mandatory registration and safety protocols[2].
Impact
The Elbe River, crucial for shipping to areas like the Czech Republic, remains restricted due to these safety concerns[2]. The bridge collapse has choked river navigation and the local economy, demanding temporary measures[1][2].
- The Commission has been faced with an additional task: proposing a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to ionizing radiation, given the ongoing demolition of the Carola Bridge over the Elbe River in Dresden.
- Despite the recent delays and unexpected challenges, such as the sludge pit in the Elbe, Simone Prüfer, head of the Street and Civil Engineering Office, asserts that Dresden remains on track to complete the demolition of the Carola Bridge by the end of the year.
- The European Commission's proposal for a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to ionizing radiation could potentially address the risks posed by the hydrogen-induced stress corrosion found in the Carola Bridge's steel infrastructure, a challenge that has delayed the demolition process.
