fFor the demolition of the Rahmede motorway bridge on the central A45 near Lüdenscheid on May 7, work is entering the home stretch. Around 150 kilograms of explosives are needed to bring down the 17,000-ton valley bridge from the 1960s, said explosives expert Michael Schneider on Friday at the alpine-looking construction site. A representative of the Federal Ministry of Transport emphasized that the demolition of the blast means a “milestone” in the challenging process. In the coming years, more than 4,500 bridges will have to be renovated across Germany.
For the fall bed below the bridge, which has been closed since December 2021, more than 100,000 cubic meters of earth are required, which have been heaped up for months. In view of the development directly on the construction site, the demolition expert spoke of a particularly challenging operation. The bridge, which is 450 meters long and up to 70 meters high, must not tip over to the side under any circumstances, but has to fall to the ground to the meter.
Banned for more than 16 months
The valley bridge on the Sauerland line has now been completely closed for more than 16 months due to severe damage. The consequences are serious. The important north-south axis between Frankfurt and Dortmund has been interrupted. The residents of Lüdenscheid and the entire region have been hit hard by massive detour traffic, traffic jams, sluggish delivery traffic and lost sales.
The federal government is responsible for the construction of the new building, the implementation is the responsibility of the federal Autobahn GmbH. Elfriede Sauerwein-Braksiek, Westphalia boss of Autobahn GmbH, said that building rights were obtained in record time, land acquisition negotiations were conducted and compensation agreements were made. By the summer, a decision will be made as to which company will be awarded the contract for the new building.
A committee of inquiry will soon deal with the case in the NRW state parliament. “We have to understand exactly how the disaster could have happened,” said Lüdenscheid SPD member of parliament Gordan Dudas. It is also about drawing conclusions “how such infrastructure disasters can be prevented in the future.”
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