- The Salzbachtalbridge continues towards Rüdesheim on a narrow, solitary track
The Salzbachtal Bridge on A66 close to Wiesbaden continues to operate in the direction towards Rüdesheim, albeit limited to a single lane, due to a landslide. Preliminary site assessments are still underway, as per a representative from Autobahn GmbH. A top speed of 60 km/h has been enforced. The landslide happened while works were being carried out behind the bridge. Initially on Monday, the path heading towards Rüdesheim was entirely shut, but later, another lane was reopened.
The A66 route to Frankfurt remains untouched by these measures. The landslide happened during the dismantling process of the construction pit's safety reinforcements, the company reported.
The planned completion date for the new Autobahn bridge is next summer. Until then, commuters will be navigating through only one of the two half-bridges. The original, roughly 300-meter Salzbachtal Bridge, was dismantled in November 2021. Previously, the aged structure from the 1960s had to be shut down due to safety concerns as segments of concrete kept falling off.
The A66 stretch connecting Rheingau and Frankfurt, seeing around 80,000 vehicles a day, encountered disruptions, resulting in extensive traffic tie-ups - the consequences of which also impacted nearby Rhineland-Palatinate.
The landslide in the construction site of the new Autobahn bridge has not affected the Meadows area nearby. After the dismantling of the original Salzbachtal Bridge, commuters are now using a single half-bridge to navigate through the Meadows region.
