Construction of the new Sternbrücke in Hamburg has begun – what now?

Construction of the new Sternbrücke in Hamburg has begun – what now?

Construction of the new Sternbrücke has officially begun in Hamburg. The dilapidated bridge, which is almost a century old, urgently needs renovation to ensure smooth rail traffic in the future. Deutsche Bahn (DB) therefore sent the first of a total of 83 heavy-duty transports on their journey on Thursday night to bring the elements for the new steel structure to their destination. According to mopo.de, these will be welded together by August. Around 25 welders are deployed for this purpose.

The new star bridge will be an impressive 108 meters long and 26 meters high. This column-free tied arch construction is part of a project that required extensive preparatory work and numerous permits. The planning approval decision from the Federal Railway Authority (EBA) has already been issued in order to move the work forward. In April 2020, the planning approval application was submitted to the EBA, which is now the starting signal for construction work [deutschebahn.com].

Preparation and challenges

The first preparatory work already included explosive ordnance detection and traffic management measures. A total of 86 trees have to be felled to build the new bridge, around 40 of which have already fallen. 215 new trees will then be planted to make up for the lost green space. In addition, five buildings and two extensions will be demolished by the end of May to make space for the new infrastructure. The DB has organized new apartments for all nine affected tenants so that no one is left behind.

The measures under the bridge should also not be underestimated. Clubs and businesses had to move out at the beginning of January 2024. Alternative accommodation was organized for the affected companies in order to keep the financial burden as low as possible. From May 2024, a 700-meter-long auxiliary cable road will be built, which is necessary for the data and power cables during construction work. This will be dismantled again after construction work is completed, according to merkin-voelker.com.

The next steps

The DB plans to demolish the old Sternbrücke for the summer holidays of 2026, parallel to the ongoing work on the new building. More than 900 S-Bahn, regional and long-distance trains cross the existing bridge every day, which is why the smooth running of rail traffic must be guaranteed even during the construction period. Residents and passengers can look forward to the developments surrounding the new Sternbrücke.