The federal highway 175 under the dilapidated railway bridge in Weida in the district of Greiz should be passable again next Friday. This was announced on site at a meeting between Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) and Martin Walden, regional head of Deutsche Bahn for Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.
The bridge was closed on Tuesday after work on the 28-meter-high viaduct revealed that parts of the bridge were moving. This had led to long traffic jams in Weida. Construction work to secure the roadway is scheduled to begin next week. Walden said scaffolding will be attached to the bridge to protect against potentially falling parts of the viaduct.
Ramelow sees responsibility in the federal government
Prime Minister Ramelow insisted that the federal highway should be reopened as soon as possible. “This closure is causing a traffic disaster across the region,” he said. Traffic cannot be easily diverted. In addition, the closure would be at the expense of many companies based in the region. Ramelow also said that he sees responsibility for the bridge at the federal level. The building has not been maintained for decades.
Expert Opinion: Viaduct cannot be preserved
Specifically, the railway is the owner of the infrastructure. According to a recent report, the viaduct is said to be in such a desolate condition that it probably cannot be preserved. The report is available from the monument protection authority, it said from the railway. As early as 1982, the railway line and bridge were shut down. Trains have not passed over the structure for more than 40 years.
The Oschütztal Viaduct, built in 1884, is listed on the European Route of Industrial Heritage. For a long time there have been initiatives to preserve the construction, which is often viewed as a special testimony to the history of technology.