Outburst! Tram bridge collapsed in Germany!

Section C of the Corolla Bridge in Dresden, Germany, collapsed on Wednesday morning. Image courtesy of the City of Dresden

Dresden Transport revealed that the last tram passed the bridge 10 minutes before the collapse, at around 2:50 a.m. At the moment, the specific cause of the collapse is unknown. The police initially classified the incident as an accident and ruled out the possibility of external factors. A police spokesman said there were no signs of criminal behaviour at the moment.

Steffen Marx, a professor at the Institute for Solid Buildings at the Technical University of Dresden, initially speculated that corrosion could be one of the main causes of the collapse. He points out that the Corolla Bridge, one of the most important traffic arteries in the center of Dresden, has long been considered in need of renovation.

It is worth noting that parts of the bridge have been renovated in recent years to ensure vehicular access. The collapsed section was originally scheduled to undergo renovation work next year.

Safety hazards and countermeasures

According to the Dresden fire department, there is a potential risk to the structural safety of the entire Elbe bridge after the collapse. The day after the accident, the relevant departments immediately carried out a preliminary safety assessment. A spokesman for the fire department revealed that in order to support the bridge section leading to the city, the crew has completed the reinforcement of the substructure on the Dresden Neustadt side.

The accident sparked widespread discussion in Germany about the state of bridge safety across the country. Professor Martin Mertens, a bridge expert at the Bochum University of Applied Sciences, told the Germany Editor's Network (RND): "Basically, we can say that all bridges built before 1980 are our hidden dangers. He stressed that most of these bridges are products of the post-World War II construction boom, calling for action from politicians. The accident in Dresden clearly showed: the moment is now critical. "

Industry calls for a response with the government

Wolfgang Schubert-Raab, president of the Germany Association of the Construction Industry, described the Dresden Bridge collapse as "a symbol of the dire state of Germany's infrastructure" and stressed the need for urgent action. The Federation of the German Construction Industry has also called for the renovation of bridges in Germany to be a top priority.

In the budget debate in the Bundestag, Transport Minister Volker Wissing responded that more than 9 billion euros will be spent next year on investments in federal roads and bridges. With regard to the collapse of the Carola Bridge in Dresden, he explained that it was within the responsibility of municipalities and had nothing to do with the federal budget. But he stressed: "The accident at the bridge shows that if you don't invest carefully in infrastructure, the consequences can be very dangerous." "

The accident not only exposed the safety risks of some infrastructure in Germany, but also triggered the whole society to think deeply about the maintenance and investment of public facilities. It is expected that the government will take more proactive measures to ensure the safety and reliability of the country's infrastructure.

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