No "inadequate" highway bridges in Saxony

None of Saxony's highway bridges are in poor condition. This is the result of an analysis by the Federal Quality Association for the Repair of Concrete Structures.

The association evaluated the latest tables from the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt). According to these tables, all 155 freeway bridges in Bavaria with a length of at least 50 meters received a rating of at least 2.9 (sufficient condition).

Majority in satisfactory condition

The Federal Highway Research Institute distinguishes between six grade ranges, depending on acute damage and signs of wear. At around 70 percent, the majority of the structures evaluated in Saxony are in the 2.0 to 2.4 range, which corresponds to a satisfactory condition. A total of 15.5 percent were rated as good (19 bridges) or very good (5 bridges). No bridges in Saxony fell into the two worst ranges of 3.0 to 3.4 (inadequate) and 3.5 to 4.0 (unsatisfactory).

In a nationwide comparison, Saxony therefore performs well. More than 10 percent of the approximately 3,800 bridges evaluated across Germany were rated as unsatisfactory or inadequate. According to the evaluation, most bridges with a condition rating of 3.3 or worse are located in North Rhine-Westphalia (21) and Hesse (19).

Renovation needs on federal and state roads

While the federal government is responsible for freeway bridges, the state of Hesse is responsible for bridges on federal and state roads. The balance there is different. According to the State Office for Road Construction and Transport, there are 2,514 structures, around 90 percent of which are in very good to sufficient condition. Accordingly, 77 bridges on federal roads have a rating of 3.0 or worse, and 174 on state roads.

After the partial collapse of the Dresden Carola Bridge, Saxony is carrying out special inspections on 19 structures regardless of their previous rating, as they are also built with Hennigsdorf prestressing steel, which can be subject to stress corrosion cracking. The results of previous inspections include the month-long closure of the Elbe bridge on the B172 in Bad Schandau, over which traffic up to 7.5 tons has been rolling again since April, and the demolition of the railroad bridge on the B101 near Großenhain last December.