Deutsche Bahn has moved forward the transport of the 3,700-ton Sternbrücke in Hamburg-Altona by one day. The move of the 108-meter-long and 21-meter-high steel colossus will begin on Wednesday afternoon. The bridge rests on narrow chassis with more than 400 wheels, so-called ‘millipedes’, and will move sideways onto Max-Brauer Allee.
‘We are well ahead of schedule, so we can start earlier,’ said Bahn project manager Janna Widmaier. She added that they prefer to move the bridge through the street during daylight: ‘There are some very tight spots we have to pass. In daylight, it’s a bit easier to see,’ Widmaier said. The bridge will then be hydraulically raised to a height of six meters and will roll several hundred meters to its installation site at the intersection with Stresemannstraße on Thursday. The tightest spot is near a balcony – the clearance there is only 40 centimeters.
Sternbrücke is expected to be installed by the weekend. The Dutch specialist firm Mammoet is responsible for the transport. Project manager Lars de Haas said: ‘Technically, it is challenging – we have been working on it for more than a year. In terms of execution, it is a medium-sized project.’ Residents are allowed to stay in their apartments. The intersection of Max-Brauer Allee and Stresemannstraße is closed, and barriers prevent rat-running traffic. Until the end of August, long-distance and regional trains as well as S-Bahn services in Hamburg will be affected by diversions.
Source: www.ndr.de
