A bridge replacement project is planned for Berlin – image courtesy of © Andrea Simon, Dreamstime.com
Improvement works to the A100 autobahn stretch in Germany’s capital Berlin will include the replacement of the concrete Rudolf-Wissell Bridge. The 931m bridge was originally designed to carry 20,000 vehicles/day and opened to traffic in 1961, but is now having to cope with around 180,000 vehicles/day.
The 12 span bridge is the longest in Berlin and spans the Spree River. The new link will be constructed alongside the existing Rudolf-Wissell Bridge. The plans call for two separate bridges to replace the existing link, with the one to east being built first. Once this has been completed, traffic will be switched over from the old Rudolf-Wissell Bridge, which then will be demolished. The second new bridge will be built along the alignment of the existing structure.
The project will boost capacity as the existing structure features just three lanes in either direction and suffers from traffic delays at peak periods. The structure of the existing bridge is also wearing out due to the heavy traffic load it now has to carry.
If all goes to plan, planning approval should be given in 2021 and the €240 million project should be complete by 2028. The bridge replacement project forms part of a wider plan to upgrade the A100 route where it passes through Berlin’s Charlottenburg area.
