dresden, germany: bridge collapses
2024-09-14
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on september 11, the german newspaper neue deutsche zeitung published an article titled "dresden corolla bridge: collapsed before renovation". the full text is excerpted as follows:
saxony's state premier michael kretschmer seemed relieved that miraculously no one was injured in the collapse of dresden's carola bridge. the collapse occurred at about 3 a.m. on the 11th, when there were few vehicles on the road, which is very busy during the day. the last tram crossed the bridge at 2:50 a.m.
the corolla bridge was built between 1967 and 1971 and consists of three parallel bridges. two of the bridges have two lanes for cars each. the third bridge has tram tracks and a pedestrian walkway, and it was this bridge that was affected by the accident. a 100-meter-long section of the bridge deck has collapsed, and the debris is scattered in the elbe river. other sections are also likely to collapse.
the bridge will reportedly be closed to traffic indefinitely. as it is a section of the b170 federal road and one of the city's most important north-south connections, the consequences of the closure are serious. a road along the elbe river, the elbe bicycle path and shipping on the river (including tour boats) were also affected. district heating also began to be interrupted after the accident, with hot water leaking from damaged pipes into the elbe river, and hospitals were forced to close and cancel operations. however, the heating network was back in operation within a few hours.
the cause of the accident is still unclear, the report said. police stressed that "there is no indication of third-party involvement" and warned people not to share false information on social platforms. this includes videos with arabic text that have been circulated. police said that if a criminal offense is suspected, the national security department will launch an investigation.
the accident was most likely caused by a technical failure. the bridge had fallen into disrepair. since 2019, the city government has spent 11.4 million euros to renovate two sections of the bridge for car traffic. the collapsed section was originally scheduled to be overhauled from 2025, for which a special fund of 8.4 million euros has been allocated. in the most recent bridge quality assessment conducted in the spring of this year, the section was rated the second worst "unqualified" grade. (compiled by nie litao)
source: cankaoxiaoxi.com
