Numerous bridge closures persist - how many more may join the list? - Chronicle of another closed bridge: Toll on commuters?
A growing concern in Hesse, Germany, is the increasing number of structurally compromised bridges, with the latest addition being the Odenwald region, affecting both a road and the underlying railway line. This raises questions about the overall condition of bridges in the state and how many more may face collapsing risks.
Responsibility for bridge maintenance varies among motorway bridges (federal government), federal, state, and county roads (state government), and railway bridges (Deutsche Bahn). According to the German Press Agency, Hesse ranks second among federal states with the highest number of poorly rated motorway bridges, with 19 structures in the category of at least 50 meters in length receiving condition notes of 3.3 or lower. North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) ranks first with 21 such bridges.
Among the 11 motorway bridges in Hesse with a rating of 3.5, the Lemptal Bridge near Ehringshausen and the Tal Bridge Bechlingen near Aßlar (Lahn-Dill district) and the Thalaubachtal Bridge near Thalau and the Tal Bridge Welkers near Eichenzell (Fulda district) have been identified as poorly rated.
The condition of bridges belonging to federal, state, and county roads in Hesse is generally good, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport in Wiesbaden. There are approximately 5,400 such bridge structures in Hesse, with 235 requiring repair in the near future.
According to Deutsche Bahn, substantial investments are being made in railway bridges, with plans for continued investment in the future due to a high technical renewal requirement. All 2,122 railway bridges in Hesse are regularly inspected.
Following a bridge inspection at the end of April, the Talbrücke at Zell, a district of Bad König, was closed in both directions. The bridge must be demolished due to imminent collapse risks, and trains of the Odenwald Railway are also prohibited from passing beneath it. Cars and trucks must now take a 20-kilometer detour, with many opting to cut through Zell, causing frustration among local residents.
A similar scenario unfolded in 2021, when concrete chunks fell from the Salzbachtalbrücke in Wiesbaden onto the road below, leading to a closure of the bridge and the roads and railway lines underneath. Wiesbaden was effectively cut off from the outside world.
Though no direct detailed information is available about the current state of bridge infrastructure in Hesse, state and federal financial backing aimed at sustainable infrastructure development and climate resilience is encouraging. Germany is increasing public investment substantially over the coming years, with resources earmarked for infrastructure and climate protection, which is likely to support more extensive renovation and modernization efforts for bridges in Hesse. Flood and runoff management, which relate to infrastructure resilience, are also topics under active scientific and engineering attention, highlighting the challenges faced by regional infrastructure, including bridges.
- In light of the growing concern over structurally compromised bridges in Hesse, there's a call for increased vocational training in civil engineering to address the high technical renewal requirement, especially for railway bridges.
- As concerns about health-and-wellness rise, with the closure of the Talbrücke at Zell disrupting traffic routes, the local community has expressed frustrations that lead to the exploration of alternatives for fitness-and-exercise routes.
- Aside from the immediate need for bridge maintenance, the state and federal governments are investing in sustainable infrastructure development and climate resilience, targeting not only bridges but also flood and runoff management, which remains a top priority in the science community.
