Bridge construction in Leverkusen: New pedestrian bridge for 2024 planned!

Bridge construction in Leverkusen: New pedestrian bridge for 2024 planned!

After the devastating floods in July 2021, which were triggered by the storm low "Bernd", the clean-up work and the reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure in North Rhine-Westphalia are in full swing. In Leverkusen, the city is planning numerous bridge construction sites for 2024 to fix the damage to traffic routes and to better manage future flood events. The old bridge on the Wietscher Mühle, which leads over the Murbach, was one of the victims of the floods. This bridge connects the Lucasweg in Leverkusen with the street on the Murbach in Leichlingen and was damaged by the flood during the nights from July 15th to 16th and 16th, 2021. It has been blocked since then.

The construction has already been commissioned for the new pedestrian and cyclist bridge. The original start of construction was planned for 2023, but it was postponed to March 2024. The construction work should be completed in the summer of 2024. Interestingly, the new bridge with a length of 8.50 meters and a width of 3.50 meters will be implemented, and the cost of around 400,000 euros is funded 100% by the "Reconstruction North Rhine-Westphalia" program. This shows the city's clear focus on the restoration of the infrastructure according to the catastrophe.

planned projects for 2024

In addition to the Wietscher Mühle, the renewal of the Dhünnbrücke on Hammerweg is on the agenda. This bridge, which is over 100 years old, is also renovated to adapt it to modern standards. District Representation III already approved the planning in June 2024, but the property acquisition for the new building is still pending. The old bridge should remain in use during the new building, and the possible construction is expected for 2026.

Another necessary demolition affects the pedestrian bridge at the Europaring, which dates from 1968 and is not barrier -free. The demolition should take place in the second half of 2025, since this bridge is no longer considered up to date. In addition, the city is planning to repair several other bridges this year, whereby a list of the affected buildings is being created by the technical companies Leverkusen (TBL).

In addition to the Wietscher Mühle, 13 bridges are also affected with flood damage, including five over the Driescher Bach and three via the Oblovener Mühlenbach. So far, 31 bridges have been repaired with flood damage, and the repair work is not affected by the budget lock.

background to the flood disaster

The flood events in July 2021 led to catastrophic damage in North Rhine-Westphalia. Since then, over 120 million euros have been invested in the renovation of streets, bridges and tunnels. The storm "Bernd" ensured extremely high rainfall, which in some areas such as Hagen reached over 240 liters per square meter within just two days. These weather events led to 49 deaths and caused material damage in billions of bills.

around 116 buildings, including 15 bridges and two tunnels suffered considerable damage. The authorities took extensive measures to remove these damage. Innovative quick construction methods were implemented to secure destroyed bridges against floods in a short time. Already today it can be seen that the reconstruction is almost complete and only two road closures are active. The cooperation between the public sector and construction industry played a crucial role in this process.

In order to counteract future flood events, the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection NRW (LANUV) has initiated various measures. One of the focal points lies on checking and improving the flood protection systems and the creation of new level locations for flood warning.

Minister Oliver Krischer points out that the flood disaster should serve as a reminder, especially with regard to climate change and the more common extreme meteorological events that are increasingly endangering the region.

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