Düsseldorf/Lüdenscheid (dpa/lnw) - The exact date of the blasting of the Rahmede viaduct in Lüdenscheid remains unclear. The planning work of the commissioned company is very complex, said Elfriede Sauerwein-Braksiek, director of the Westphalia branch of the federal Autobahn GmbH, on Wednesday in the transport committee in Düsseldorf. "This is where care comes before speed," she said. There could be a schedule next week or the week after that.
Heitkamp Umwelttechnik GmbH was awarded the contract for blasting demolition of the viaduct at the beginning of October. The dilapidated bridge has been closed since last December due to severe damage. The pillars should buckle to the side during the blast, and the bridge should fall down horizontally. This required considerable earthworks, 85,000 cubic meters of soil would have to be moved, said Sauerwein-Braksiek. For protection, 55 containers filled with earth are to be set up. The removal of a total of 150,000 tons of material is also planned. Land acquisition is also time-critical, she said. Some are still in negotiations here.
At the same time, the tender for the new construction of the bridge is running. It is planned that the bridge with the first lane should be in place by September 30, 2026. The second should also be ready by December 21, 2027.
Meanwhile, the story remains a political issue. The SPD MP Gordan Dudas, who represents the region, renewed his demand for clarification as to whether the decision to postpone the planned new construction of the bridge fell during the term of office of the current Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU). That was suggested by a report by "T-Online".
State Chancellery and Autobahn GmbH emphasize that these were technical, not political decisions. Dudas did not get any answers in the transport committee on Wednesday. CDU politician Oliver Krauß reproached Dudas: "What people need least is partisan, backward-looking disputes."
