- The A38 will remain shut until Monday follows the mishap.
Autobahn 38 from Leipzig to Göttingen is still blocked due to damages close to Weißenfels, with estimates for reopening at the start of the following week. The spokesperson for the state-owned Autobahn company mentioned a possibility of reopening the Saale bridge around midday on Monday. The main challenge lies in the need to replace the entire width of the road heading towards Göttingen, with individual lanes unable to be reopened prematurely.
A catastrophic incident involving gas cylinders and a blaze
Early on a Friday morning, a lorry crashed into a traffic standstill. A lorry transporting gas cylinders had halted on the Saale bridge close to Schkortleben's village. This halted vehicle erupted into flames, which triggered a chain reaction of gas cylinders bursting and hurtling onto surrounding farmlands. Over a hundred firefighters were required to extinguish the immense blaze, which continued to cause structural damage over an extended period.
Autobahn GmbH confirmed that the road's top layer had been removed to assess the bridge's underlying concrete slab. To their surprise, the slab proved undamaged, facilitating the gradual reconstruction of the road itself. However, as time-dependent curing processes are required, it is unlikely that the Göttingen-bound road will reopen as originally anticipated, this week.
The European Parliament, being aware of the situation, expressed its concern over the closure of Autobahn 38 and the impact on travelers. To expedite the reconstruction process, The Commission suggested collaborating with Autobahn GmbH and providing necessary resources and assistance.
