Demolition of the Carol Bridge: This is how our city becomes a construction site!

Demolition of the Carol Bridge: This is how our city becomes a construction site!

Neustadt, Deutschland - The demolition of the Carol Bridge in Dresden will begin in the coming week, and the city is preparing for an intensive construction process. The building contractor Hentschke-Bau will use huge 130 tons of long-front excavators to reduce the bridge parts in a controlled manner. With two excavators, the weaknesses work at the same time to efficiently dismantle the bridge parts. As the Neustadt-Ticker , large gravel heaps are to be filled up to support the structure of the bridge and to ensure a secure removal.

In order to continue to enable the course of the Elbe, a temporary construction road was set up and pipes were laid. In addition, a bridge was placed over the river. A central component of the disassembly is a fall bed made of water modules, empty pipes and sand. A total of around 13,000 tons of material are used here to safely intercept the bridge parts.

course of the work and challenges

The work on the middle section of the bridge is scheduled for about ten weeks. During this period, the corresponding section of the Elbe remains closed. The demolition method was selected by a total of eleven variants after careful examination, including makeshift buildings and segment. The method relies on targeted weakening of the bridge trains, with tensioning ropes at critical dots are destroyed by the excavators. A press conference with building manager Simone Prüfer and Managing Director Thomas Alscher will explain the individual steps and the associated challenges.

The complete demolition of the bridge is planned until the end of 2025. The first parts on the Neustädter side should first collapse, followed by their shredding and removal. It is also considered that ongoing events such as the film nights on the banks of the Elbe are taken into account, so the volume work should be carried out during the day until 5 p.m.

progress and necessities of district heating supply

The demolition of the collapsed part of the Carol Bridge is already taking shape, as also reports the mdr . The bridge section above the terrace bank is removed to improve the flow of the Elbe. The concrete and steel of the bridge are crushed with special excavators that have cutting shears and hydraulic hammers. The material removal should also be designed environmentally friendly because the torn material is to be recycled.

The entire bridge has been closed since the partial collapse in September, and it is checked whether the other bridge trains can be preserved. Building expert Prof. Steffen Marx from the TU Dresden sees the risk that the middle part of the bridge must also be demolished. In the meantime, the preparations for the provisional district heating line are running over the nearby Augustus Bridge to supply the new town with heat during the cold season.

sustainability in construction

An important development in the construction industry is the need to recycle building materials in order to minimize ecological footprints. The startup Concular, which supports builders, is exemplary to introduce materials from dismantling projects back into the material cycle. This practice is becoming more and more relevant because the construction industry is considered one of the largest polluters.

Through innovative ways, such as the digitization of projects and the recycling of materials, not only reduces waste, but also saves. The initiatives that stimulate the reuse of construction site materials are an equally decisive step for a sustainable future in construction.