Major construction site - Floating crane supplies another component for new Frisian bridge
The delivery of the first bridge segments for the new Friesenbrücke over the Ems at Weener in East Frisia is progressing. The floating crane "Cormorant" transported the third of four bridge parts across the river to the construction site. Alexander Heinemann, project manager of Deutsche Bahn, described this as a "significant milestone" for the rebuilding of the bridge, which was destroyed in a ship collision in 2015.
The bridge parts, each weighing around 300 tons and measuring 30 meters in length, are intended for the so-called land bridge. "They will then be placed on self-propelled vehicles and moved into position," said Heinemann.
The Ems needs to be raised
The first bridge part had already arrived at the construction site on Monday. The parts are taken off the hook in the harbor of Papenburg and then transported around eight kilometers downstream to the bridge construction site at Weener. In the coming months, the installation of the 145-meter-long rotating bridge part is also planned. According to Deutsche Bahn, the Ems will also have to be raised for this.
Since a freighter rammed and largely destroyed the then-closed lifting bridge, the Ems crossing has been interrupted for pedestrians, cyclists, and rail traffic.
The new 335-meter-long Friesenbrücke is expected to become the largest lifting-rotating bridge for railway traffic in Europe, according to the railway company. The commissioning, which has been delayed in construction, is now expected to take place in mid-2025. Instead of the initially estimated 125 million euros, the costs are now estimated at more than 200 million euros.
The bridge parts are being transported from the harbor of Papenburg towards the construction site at Weener. Despite the progress, Deutsche Bahn mentioned that the Ems needs to be raised for the installation of the rotating bridge part.
