Carola Bridge has been constructed and unveiled for public use.
The Whirlwind of Action at the Carolabridge
For the past three weeks, the Elbe has been a hive of activity - digging, biting, and picking, with no end in sight. At the heart of it all is a colossal 120-ton excavator wielding a 40-meter arm. The spectacle began with the controlled demolition of bridge sections A and B on June 12.
Onlookers gather daily to witness this demolition spectacle, be it from the Brühl Terrace, the Elbe meadows, or the construction fence. The cacophony is so intense that some spectators have armed themselves with earplugs.
The rubble is being crushed and carted away. The aim is to restore the waterway as swiftly as possible and reopen it for shipping traffic. Initially, it was declared it might happen by early September.
Despite the closure, the renowned White Fleet continues to maintain its schedule.
Now, let's dive a little deeper into the details of this demolition project:
- Since June 4, 2025, the Elbe federal waterway in the region of the collapsed Carola Bridge in Dresden has been blocked for shipping traffic, slated for a duration of around three months[1][4].
- The main demolition work involves the removal of the suspended girders of the bridge over the waterway, with the demolition concluding by the end of July 2025[1][2][3].
- After the bridge dismantling, additional crucial measures are planned, such as surveying the riverbed for potential alterations and dredging to restore the original bed level. These steps are essential for ensuring safety and navigability[1][2][3].
- Upon completion of dredging, the Elbe Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA Elbe) will perform a traffic safety survey to ascertain the depth and condition of the navigation channel. Only once safety inspections affirm the channel’s status will the fairway be marked to secure safe navigation[1].
- As per current plans, the work is expected to be completed by August 2025, with the Elbe federal waterway projected to reopen to shipping traffic from early September 2025, provided all safety checks are a success[1].
In essence, the demolition of the Carola Bridge is underway since June 2025, with the waterway closure since early June, and the tentative reopening date for shipping traffic through this segment of the Elbe is around early September 2025. This timeline hinges on the successful completion of dredging and safety inspections post-demolition[1][2][3].
In the context of the ongoing demolition project of the Carola Bridge, the industry of transportation has been significantly impacted, as shipping traffic in the Elbe region has been halted for approximately three months starting from early June 2025. The aim is to restore the waterway's original condition by the end of the dredging process, which is expected to be completed by August 2025, with the involvement of the Elbe Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA Elbe). Upon the successful completion of dredging and safety inspections, the finite has been set for the reopening of the Elbe federal waterway to shipping traffic by early September 2025, bringing the finance sector into play as the costs of the project will need to be covered and managed during this period.
