Lüdenscheid (dpa / lnw) - According to the Federal Ministry of Transport, the award procedure for the planned demolition of the dilapidated Rahmede viaduct on the Sauerland route A45 has been completed. "This is a decisive step on the way to replacing the new building," said Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) on Tuesday in Berlin. Now the "detailed planning for the demolition blasting" can begin. The blasting of the motorway bridge near Lüdenscheid, which has been closed since the end of 2021, is scheduled for December 18th. A week ago, however, doubts arose as to whether the deadline could be met.
According to the Westphalia branch of Autobahn GmbH, the contract for blasting demolition of the viaduct goes to Heitkamp Umwelttechnik GmbH. And the Liesegang company, as one of the subcontractors, was responsible for the demolition. "The felling work under the bridge has already begun today to prepare the areas for the fall bed. The aim is to bring the bridge to the ground as quickly as possible," emphasized branch manager Elfriede Sauerwein-Braksiek in a statement.
The steep slopes are a big challenge. Most of the delivery and removal of soil and overburden should take place via the autobahn so as not to burden the streets in Lüdenscheid with additional construction traffic. Closing the bridge means that alternative routes in Lüdenscheid are heavily congested, with significant negative consequences for residents and the economy of the entire region.
According to the announcement, Wissing said: "Soon it will become clear to everyone that things are progressing quickly." At the same time, work continues at full speed on the planning and construction of the new bridge. Lüdenscheid should be relieved as soon as possible. The mayor there, Sebastian Wagemeyer (SPD), informed a week ago that the award procedure for the blasting could not be completed as planned. However, the ministry in Berlin had made it clear that this had no influence on the planning and construction of the new bridge. The bridge is located on a Germany-wide important traffic axis between the Ruhr area and Frankfurt am Main.
