Construction work on the New Kattwyk Railway Bridge was carried out by the Hamburg Port Authority, the body responsible for the project, in a Latest news for inland waterway transport (NfB) announced. According to the notice, the resulting closure of the Süderelbe is scheduled to last twelve days: from 8 am on 17 August 26 until 6 pm on the evening of 28 August 26. The authority also intends to announce any changes to the closure times via NfB.
The New Kattwyk Railway Bridge is one of two parallel bridges that span the Köhlbrand in south-west Hamburg, linking the districts of Moorburg and Wilhelmsburg. The Köhlbrand is part of the Süderelbe, one of the two fully navigable waterways through the Hanseatic city. The other is the Norderelbe, which passes through the city centre.
Bridges with a history of accidents
The two bascule bridges are among the largest in Europe, although the railway bridge, which has now been closed, was only completed in 2020. When raised, both bridges have a clearance height of 53 metres, allowing even large seagoing vessels to pass underneath.
However, it has a long history of accidents and has been rammed by ships on several occasions. The most serious incident involving the old bridge, however, was caused by a mechanical failure, as a result of which the bridge could not be raised for weeks in the spring of 2008.
Christian Tiedt
Editor Travel
