Dresden. Next week, when the city is asleep and the last trams have stopped running, the heavy machinery will roll in. Through a massive nighttime stress test, the city administration is assessing the load-bearing capacity of the dilapidated Budapester Straße bridge to prevent this important structure from being completely closed for years.
Heavy-Load Experiment in the Dark
From August 10 to 12, self-propelled, modular special-purpose vehicles will roll in. During the night, the machines will gradually apply an enormous weight of up to 326 metric tons to the bridge structure. Sensors and surveying equipment will monitor every tiny movement and deflection of the concrete. To ensure absolute safety during this risky maneuver, strict road closures will be in effect: On the test days, the city will completely close Ammonstraße—which runs under the bridge—as well as the bridge itself to traffic from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Additionally, the delicate load test will take place deep into the night exclusively when no trains or streetcars are running under the bridge.
