Demolition of the Carola Bridge in Dresden: new construction starts in the summer!

Demolition of the Carola Bridge in Dresden: new construction starts in the summer!

The Carola Bridge in Dresden, a striking structure, has caused excitement in the city since its partial collapse in September 2024. As [Deutschlandfunk](https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/eingestuerzte-carolabruecke-in-dresden-soll-zuegig-abträger-und-neu-built- Werden-102.html) reports, the city has now decided to quickly demolish the fragile parts and build a new building on the same site. Quick action is necessary because the bridge is in a critical condition and shipping traffic on the Elbe had to be stopped as a result of the collapse.

The city will forego a Europe-wide tendering process in order to be able to carry out the demolition work as quickly as possible. A report presented in December 2024 by Professor Steffen Marx from TU Dresden certified that the collapse was caused by hydrogen-induced stress corrosion cracking. This corrosion occurred during the construction period in 1971 when moisture penetrated the unprotected prestressing steel. In addition, increasing traffic loads increased material fatigue, which ultimately led to the catastrophic failure of the tendons, especially in bridge section C, the damage to which resulted in the collapse.

New plans for the bridge

The plans for the replacement building, which are to be pushed forward at full speed, do not have to go through a years-long planning approval process. The city has already scheduled a planning meeting for December 12th to determine the next steps and create the initial framework conditions for the new building. A proposal for the new building should also be submitted to the city council at the beginning of 2025. A decision on the new building is expected in the council meeting in the summer of 2025.

It is clear that the Carola Bridge can no longer be put into operation. “Bridges A and B show similar damage to bridge C,” explained Professor Marx during a special meeting of the Committee for Urban Development, Construction, Transport and Real Estate. The noise emission monitoring system will continue to be used to register prestressing steel fractures in real time and to identify possible dangers at an early stage. The aim is to open the shipping channel on the Elbe by the end of the year – if the stability data allows this.

Causes of corrosion

The whole problem surrounding the Carola Bridge raises questions about the quality of building materials and their long-term stability. Hydrogen-induced stress corrosion cracking, which is discussed in Rainer Falkenberg's dissertation, is a serious threat from which other structures are not immune. In his study, the author shows how hydrogen leads to deformation and ultimately crack growth in high-strength steels, which should be a warning sign for many engineers. In a time of increasing demands on the transport infrastructure, it is more important than ever to counteract such dangers with targeted measures.

The city of Dresden seems to be on the right track to initiate the necessary measures for demolition and new construction. We can't wait to see what the future holds for the Carola Bridge. A new building with the same design could help to soon restore the connection across the Elbe and the associated traffic flows.