German authorities have ordered a check of all major bridges after a 100-metre stretch of a Dresden river crossing collapsed early on Wednesday – with no casualties.
Police officers who witnessed the collapse described hearing a “loud, heavy noise and the ground shook” when the Carola Bridge collapsed into the river Elbe.
The partial collapse in the eastern German city occurred at 3.08am, just 18 minutes after the last tram for the night crossed the bridge.
“There is still an acute danger to life and risk of collapse,” said Michael Klahre, a spokesman for the Dresden fire brigade.
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He said streets around the bridge were also affected by the collapse and that district heating pipes were severed.
“The supply of hot water has come to a complete standstill in the entire city,” he added.
The original Carola Bridge from 1895 was blown up by the Nazis in 1945 to stall the approaching Red Army.
The current structure opened in 1971 and reopened after two-year renovations in 2021. It is one of four river crossings in the Saxon capital.
A preliminary investigation yesterday revealed that the reinforced concrete structure may have rusted from the inside. Dresden’s bridge chief Holger Kalbe said it was likely that more aggressive East German winter grit and de-icing salt had entered the structure and begun to rust the girders.
“This East German chemical is far more aggressive than today’s de-icing salt,” he added.
In a recent survey, the Carola Bridge was given a safety grade that determined: “condition unsatisfactory, but bridge still safe”.
Bridge expert Helmut Wenzel told the Bild tabloid it was “not unusual” for steel to break.
“The steel is encased in concrete and it is complicated to see how badly it is damaged,” said Mr Wenzel.
He agreed that it was quite likely that winter road salt could be the cause of the collapse: “That’s why we always have to make sure that the bridges are well-sealed.”
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