Nearly 26,000 residents vote on the Carola Bridge

The people of Dresden are taking a keen interest in the construction of the new Carola Bridge. After a panel of experts voted on the four bridge designs under consideration, the results of the public vote are now in. According to the city administration, nearly 26,000 people participated in the “carolaVOTE” campaign.

The design by ARGE FHECOR Deutschland GmbH and TSSB Planungsgesellschaft narrowly took first place. In second place is the design by Leonhardt, Andrä und Partner Beratende Ingenieure VBI AG and Knight Architects. Among the experts, the order was exactly the opposite.

Strong Response to the Bridge Design Exhibition

Part of the public participation process included events showcasing the designs. “Both the guided tours offered twice a week and the weekly themed ‘bridge cafés’ generated a great deal of interest,” the organizers said.

The feedback wall at the exhibition was also heavily used, with more than 300 cards filled out. “The comments primarily focused on the design, the quality of the public space, traffic and connectivity, bicycle traffic, and the reconstruction of the Carola Bridge,” the report noted. The number of lanes was the most frequently commented-on aspect. 

What happens next?

The results of “carolaVOTE” and the expert panel’s recommendation will now be discussed at a meeting of the advisory committee on August 18. This committee will submit a recommendation to the City Council. On September 3, the City Council will decide whether to commission a planning team to proceed with the reconstruction of the Carola Bridge.

The former Carolabrücke in Dresden—a prestressed concrete structure from the GDR era—unexpectedly partially collapsed during the night of September 11, 2024. No one was injured. However, the two remaining bridge spans were so severely damaged that they had to be completely demolished. The cause of the collapse is believed to be corrosion, which led to the failure of prestressing tendons. According to current plans, reconstruction of the bridge is scheduled to begin in May 2028 and be completed in 2031.