The town of Biedenkopf in Hesse, Germany, has finished building a new footbridge over the Lahn river, more than a year after the old crossing was closed down. Structural engineers signed off on the Sachsenhäuser Steg on Thursday, the town said.
The bridge itself is complete, but it has been closed again since Monday while workers finish the path connecting it to a nearby supermarket, which is currently being asphalted. That work is expected to continue until Wednesday, after which the bridge can actually be used, Mayor Jochen Achenbach of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) told broadcaster hr.
Shorter route for residents
The new footbridge will mainly benefit people living in the residential area along the B62 federal highway, cutting their route into the neighbouring commercial district. Until now, residents have had to take a detour through the town centre lasting at least 15 minutes.
Achenbach said the town was very pleased that the Sachsenhäuser Steg could finally be put to use. He added that work was not yet fully finished, as the construction fencing around the site still needs to be replaced with a permanent railing in addition to the asphalting.
Costs lower than expected
The town said the final construction costs have not yet been determined. Under the current plans, however, the new bridge is expected to come in cheaper than originally projected.
The original design called for the bridge to be built with a central pillar in the Lahn, but that was dropped after the plans were revised. Achenbach said the new design would bring savings in the six-figure range compared with the first draft.
Guerrilla bridges made headlines
The Sachsenhäuser Steg was shut down last year after the old bridge was found to be structurally unsound. While the town worked on plans for a replacement, unknown individuals secretly built a wooden footbridge across the Lahn on two separate occasions.
These so-called guerrilla bridges drew national media attention and were widely discussed on social media. Both structures had to be torn down, as authorities said they posed a safety risk and interfered with flood protection measures, among other concerns.
Once the remaining work is finished and the bridge is formally opened, the temporary arrangement will come to an end, restoring the direct link between the residential and commercial areas after more than a year.
