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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE]

2 clusters · 34 sources · 25 days · First seen 26 days ago · Last updated 1 day ago

European large steel bridge projects

Entities: Anjes Tjarks · Sternbrücke (Hamburg) · Tausendfüßler transport vehicle · Hamburg · Sternbrücke (Hamburg railway bridge)

Overview

In early July 2026 the Rader Hochbrücke received its 118‑metre steel middle span. Later that month Hamburg began replacing the historic Sternbrücke with a new 108‑metre, 21‑metre‑high steel bridge weighing about 3,700 tonnes. On 29 July a convoy of 48 self‑propelled modular transporters—1,088 steerable wheels in total—moved the structure sideways onto Max‑Brauer‑Allee at roughly one kilometre per hour. Clearance was extremely tight, with the narrowest point only 40 cm and side gaps of 80‑90 cm. To make way for the bridge, 86 trees were felled, street lamps cut, a tank‑station canopy removed, and the road was raised about 60 cm and reinforced with steel plates. Hydraulic cylinders lifted the bridge six metres before a 500‑metre roll‑out to its permanent rail‑crossing at Stresemannstraße. Deutsche Bahn project manager Janna Widmaier and Dutch specialist Mammoet supervised the operation, which drew hundreds of onlookers. After placement, ballast, tracks, overhead lines and signalling will be installed, allowing the Verbindungsbahn—carrying roughly 900 trains per day—to resume service by the end of August, keeping the project ahead of schedule for final completion the following weekend.

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 11 SOURCES] The bridge weighs roughly 3,685 to 3,700 tonnes of steel. (new)
[● 11 SOURCES] Transport of the bridge began on Wednesday, 29 July 2026, one day earlier than planned. (source)
[● 11 SOURCES] The bridge will be lifted to about six metres high using hydraulic cylinders. (new)
[● 11 SOURCES] Railway traffic is scheduled to resume at the end of August. (new)
[● 10 SOURCES] The new Sternbrücke is 108 metres long and 21 metres high. (new)
[● 10 SOURCES] The narrowest clearance during transport is 40 cm at a balcony, with other clearances of 80–90 cm. (new)
[● 9 SOURCES] A multi‑axle vehicle called a “Tausendfüßler” is used to move the bridge at about 1–2 km/h. (source)
[● 9 SOURCES] Eighty‑six trees were felled and street lanterns removed to clear the transport route. (new)
[● 8 SOURCES] Residents along the transport route have been temporarily housed in hotels and safety posts installed. (source)
[● 6 SOURCES] Max‑Brauer‑Allee was raised by about 60 cm and reinforced with steel plates for the transport. (new)

Timeline

1 day ago

[TECHNOLOGY] 34 sources
Hamburg relocates 3,700‑tonne Sternbrücke to new rail crossing
Hamburg’s 3,700‑tonne Sternbrücke was moved on 48 SPMTs through Max‑Brauer‑Allee, lifted to six metres, and will be installed at Stresemannstraße with rail service set to restart by late August.
26 days ago

[TECHNOLOGY] 8 sources
Rader Hochbrücke to receive 118‑metre steel middle span in July
The 118 m, 1,250‑t steel middle span of the Rader Hochbrücke will be lifted into place on 15‑16 July 2026, closing a section of the Nord‑Ostsee‑Kanal.

Sources

atlas.tagesschau.de · burlo-direkt.de · dattelner-morgenpost.de · der-warnemuender.de · dorstenerzeitung.de · faz.net · focus.de · halternerzeitung.de · hamburg-zwei.de · hellwegeranzeiger.de · hna.de · karlsruhe-insider.de · lejournaldesflandres.fr · mopo.de · mvbnetzausbau.de · nahverkehrhamburg.de · news-koblenz.de · nordnews.de · nordostseemagazine.de · ntv.de · op-online.de · pdf.zeit.de · radiohamburg.de · recklinghaeuser-zeitung.de · ruhrnachrichten.de · sompo.com.sg · soprema.fr · tagsschau.de · tz.de · venomdollplushies.com · verlag.weser-kurier.de · vorsprung-online.de · welcome-aboard.de · wenzenbach.de

This summary has been updated 6 times: see revision history