German bridges in a precarious condition: In Dresden, the collapse of the Carola Bridge recently made headlines. But things are also wrong in Baden-Württemberg.
According to data analysis by construction experts, some motorway bridges in the southwest are in a questionable condition. Of Germany’s 100 most severely damaged motorway bridges, 16 are in Baden-Württemberg alone, according to an analysis by the Federal Quality Association for the Repair of Concrete Structures available to the German Press Agency. This puts the state in third place in the negative ranking behind North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse. Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate follow in fourth and fifth place.
According to the evaluation, bridges along the A81 between Würzburg and Singen are particularly affected in the southwest. For example, the Kochertal Bridge and the Brettachtal Bridge north of Heilbronn, the Neckarburg Valley Bridge near Rottweil and several bridges near Engen im Hegau are among the most severely damaged bridges in Germany. Bridges along the A8 and A61 are also in particularly poor condition.
Data from around 3,800 bridges
According to its own information, the Federal Quality Association has identified those with the worst condition grades in Germany out of 3,786 motorway bridges with a length of at least 50 meters. 1,382 received a condition rating of “adequate” and 378 had a structural condition of “inadequate”. According to the evaluation, 1,697 bridges were in “satisfactory” condition, while 286 bridges were rated as “good” or “very good”.
The investigation was based on bridge statistics regularly published by the Federal Highway Research Institute. The rating is based on condition scores that indicate acute damage and signs of wear. There is also the so-called load index, which evaluates the performance of the bridge based on age and material. According to the study, Baden-Württemberg comes in second place after North Rhine-Westphalia for this load index.
Politicians and the federal highway company must act now, said Marco Götze, chairman of the Federal Quality Association. “Especially when it comes to motorway bridges, we cannot rely on the next accident being as minor as the partial collapse of the Carola Bridge in Dresden.” Infrastructure requires constant maintenance and renewal.
Many renovations planned nationwide
In March 2022, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) presented a package of measures for faster bridge modernization. The intensive use over the past decades has left its mark on many bridges, especially due to increasing heavy traffic. In the coming years, 400 bridges per year are to be renovated.
Bridge map from the Federal Highway Research Institute Federal Ministry of Transport for bridges
Source: Stern
