Zittau (dpa/sn) - After eleven months of construction, the historic bridge over the Mandau in Zittau (Görlitz district) can be used again. After the last Saxon king Friedrich August III. (1865-1932) was opened to traffic on Friday. "This is good news for Zittau and the entire region," said Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) at the inauguration. Since the summer, trains of the Zittau narrow-gauge railway have been running over it again, and now the rest of the traffic too. The Free State invested around 3.6 million euros in the repair of the building, which was in need of renovation.
According to Transport Minister Martin Dulig (SPD), the so-called X-Bridge is "unique in Germany". The road and footpath of State Road 132 and the narrow-gauge railway line crossed in the middle of the river. After the repair, the bridge is "well prepared for future rail and road traffic". The arches were completely removed, the abutments and pillars repaired and the bridge superstructure rebuilt. The railing is made according to historical models, and some track systems have been replaced.
