Construction work on Inner Canal Road: Bridge closed for 10 days!

Construction work on Inner Canal Road: Bridge closed for 10 days!

In the coming period, the people of Cologne will have to prepare for some structural changes on Inner Kanalstrasse. Deutsche Bahn has announced that it will renew the bridge on Inner Kanalstrasse between Krefelder Strasse and Hornstrasse. Construction will begin on July 18th and is scheduled to be completed by August 29th. The road will be closed for a good week, specifically from August 8th to 18th, in order to safely raise the new bridge. The total costs of the project amount to an impressive 13.5 million euros, while preparatory work for this exchange has been carried out for some time, reports Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger.

The old bridge, also known as the “idiot bridge” among Cologne residents, has caused recurring problems, especially for trucks, due to its limited clearance height. However, the construction work also has an impact on rail traffic: it will be necessary to replace trains between the main station and the Geldernstrasse/Parkgurtel stop with buses. The same applies to some extent to the Frankfurter Straße and Porz-Wahn section. In the first construction phase, which takes place between July 18th and August 8th, there will be partial failures of the S-Bahn lines S 6, S 12 and RB 25 between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Changes in train traffic

If we look at the details of the construction work, we see that during the main phase from August 8th (9 p.m.) to August 29th (8 a.m.) the S-Bahn S 6 will actually be canceled between Mülheim and Worringen. The S 11 will be rerouted towards Düsseldorf, with no stops at Hansaring and Nippes. In the direction of Bergisch Gladbach the S 11 remains unchanged. A replacement bus service will be set up for the affected passengers between Cologne Central Station and Geldernstrasse/Parkgurtel. It is particularly worth mentioning that the Cologne Transport Company (KVB) is also carrying out construction work on line 15 at the same time, which brings additional challenges for commuters to Chorweiler.

In this context, Roland Student, transport expert for the Green Party, expressed his criticism of the construction work being carried out at the same time. This shows that traffic planning in our cities is often anything but well thought out and creates additional burdens for daily commuters.

Bridge building and innovative approaches

The infrastructure in need of renewal is not just an issue in Cologne. Many other regions are struggling with similar challenges, and not just locally. In Germany, an estimated 8,000 motorway, 3,000 federal highway and 1,200 railway bridges are on the list for renewal over the next 20 years. A concept that is increasingly coming to the fore in this context is the modular system for bridges developed by Theo Reddemann. This method has already significantly shortened the construction time, as ZDF reports. Using this express construction method, a highway bridge was installed in just one weekend, instead of the originally estimated one and a half years.

The new process, which could also be used in Cologne, relies on producing the bridge parts in a weatherproof tent in order to avoid weather-related failures and increase strength. If we want to tackle the challenges in bridge construction, we need innovative approaches and a good hand in planning in order to save not only time but also costs while reducing CO2 emissions.