"Serious damage" - Agra Bridge has to be rebuilt

The Agra Bridge south of Leipzig has to be rebuilt. Investigations carried out in recent days have revealed serious damage to the prestressed concrete bridge, according to Saxony's Ministry of Infrastructure. "The originally assumed service life of ten years is no longer tenable," said Infrastructure Minister Regina Kraushaar (CDU) according to the statement.

The steel samples taken from the top of the bridge had shown significant damage, according to the ministry. "In two out of five opened tendons, individual wires are already cracked, and there are also numerous other cracks," said the commissioned expert Thomas Bösche. The samples are now to be examined more closely in the laboratory and the results should be available at the end of November.

"The only solution that can be implemented quickly, is legally feasible, can be financed and is reasonable for the region is to replace the bridge immediately," said Kraushaar. The State Office for Road Construction and Transport has been instructed to start planning the replacement construction immediately.

Bridge to be relieved

In order to relieve pressure on the structure and ensure traffic safety, only vehicles up to 3.5 tons will be allowed to drive over the bridge from Thursday (20 November), according to the Ministry. Heavier vehicles are expected to be diverted via the Leipziger Ring on highways 38 and 14. In addition, the permitted speed is to be reduced.