Demolition of the Carola Bridge: Neustadt ready for new transport routes!

Demolition of the Carola Bridge: Neustadt ready for new transport routes!

There's a lot going on in Dresden at the moment, as demolition work on pillar D of the Carola Bridge began on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. This pillar is the last large part of the bridge on the Neustadt side, and many eyes are now focused on the work, which should be completed by the beginning of next week, more precisely by week 31. The focus is on ensuring a safe and orderly traffic area on both sides of the Elbe.

The estimated extent of the demolition work is considerable. After the demolition, the debris will be chopped up and transported away to make room for the next steps. In addition, the fall bed on the Old Town side will be cleared. Restoring the shipping channel for shipping has the highest priority. Since the condition of the riverbed was severely affected by the partial collapse on September 11, 2024, accurately recording the changes is crucial.

Important shipping measures

The Elbe bottom changed in some places after the incident; It has become deeper in some areas, but flatter in other areas. This is mainly due to the narrowing of the cross-section of the Elbe due to the construction road and a change in flow speed. On Monday, July 21, 2025, area bearings were carried out in the area from the Carola Bridge to the Augustus Bridge in order to create an accurate picture of the river bed and to locate possible obstacles to shipping.

The survey was carried out by the Ingenieurgesellschaft Falasch mbH on behalf of the Road and Civil Engineering Authority, and echo sounding equipment was used to scan the riverbed from the boat. The evaluation of the results has already provided some interesting findings, such as a deep scour under the bridge section C and a landfall on the Neustädter side in Heger.

Preparation for re-release

The Elbe Waterways and Shipping Authority has set conditions for the opening of the fairway. The clear goal: release in August. The repair work on the Elbe bottom is expected to take three weeks, with the water level being crucial to progress. The dredger ship “DOMARIN 10” is planned for the implementation and has to come to the construction site from Riesa to Dresden. The prerequisite for this is a water level of around one meter.

After the Carola Bridge is demolished, the terrace bank will also be cleared and made safe for traffic. Initial assessments have already revealed damage to the asphalt surface and the footpaths, which now need to be assessed and repaired in close cooperation with the utility companies and the traffic authority. The Elbe cycle path will not be forgotten either, as restoration measures must also be determined.

If everything goes according to plan, shipping on the Elbe could soon return to some degree of normality. The people of Dresden are already looking forward to the restoration of their popular transport routes soon.

You can find out more about this in the official announcement from Dresden.de.