Almost five months after its sudden closure, the Wiesbaden Salzbachtal bridge on Autobahn 66 was reduced to rubble.
Now the clean-up work begins - so that at least the traffic under the previous bridge can roll again.
Wiesbaden - The ailing Salzbachtal bridge on Autobahn 66 in Wiesbaden was blown up on Saturday. The busy structure was closed in mid-June for safety reasons after concrete parts fell from the structure. With the blast, the start of the new building is to be accelerated. In addition, residents and commuters in the Rhine-Main area hope that at least the roads and railroad tracks under the previous bridge can soon be used again. The Autobahn GmbH of the federal government is aiming for a release by Christmas.
Immediately after the demolition work should begin to clear away the rubble.
According to the plans of the Autobahn GmbH, 15 crawler excavators and three wheel loaders should arrive on Saturday afternoon to crush the blasted bridge.
15,000 tons of demolition material made of concrete and steel have to be processed.
The demolition of the bridge in good weather was broadcast live on the Internet.
Police, city and Autobahn GmbH had called on onlookers to stay at home.
Around the bridge there was a safety area of 250 meters in which it was forbidden to stay.
This affected a cemetery, some residential buildings, allotments and an animal shelter, among other things.
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Stadt und Autobahn GmbH provide information on the Salzbachtal Bridge
The city of Wiesbaden and the federal motorway company want to explain today how the Salzbachtal Bridge should continue.
The most important question at the appointment in Wiesbaden City Hall is when the planned demolition should go ahead.
The closure of the motorway bridge has a massive impact on traffic in the western Rhine-Main area.
The superstructure on a pillar of the structure had sunk, and chunks of concrete had fallen.
Stadt und Autobahn GmbH provide information on the Salzbachtal Bridge
Bridge work at the weekend: blasting in Kornwestheim
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In Kornwestheim (Ludwigsburg district), part of the ailing Gumpenbach bridge is being blown up to make room for the new replacement building.
Bridge work at the weekend: blasting in Kornwestheim
Cream on the autobahn after an accident with two articulated trucks
After an accident between two trucks, 1,000 to 2,000 liters of cream spilled onto Autobahn 1 near Wildeshausen.
As the police announced, a 30-year-old truck driver overlooked the end of a traffic jam near the Wildeshausen-West junction on Thursday evening.
He hit a 35-year-old's tanker truck.
Both drivers were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
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The superstructure on one of the pillars of the south bridge had sunk, and chunks of concrete had fallen onto the street and sidewalk.
The bridge was completely closed - tough traffic jams regularly form in the state capital.
The main station is as good as cut off from train traffic, as almost all of the tracks run under the bridge.
According to the plans of the Autobahn GmbH, the current gap on Autobahn 66 will be closed with a new building in 2023 at the earliest.
Before the sudden closure in June, the bridge was already being prepared for a conventional demolition - without blasting it.
This demolition should actually start in autumn.
The sagged south bridge was no longer under traffic - it had already been completely diverted to the north bridge.
dpa