Rahmedetal Viaduct Brought Down by Explosives

Source: Michael Kramer, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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55-year old Viaduct along the German Motorway 45 imploded at High Noon on Sunday. New Viaduct to be Built and Open by 2027

LÜDENSCHEIDT, GERMANY- Hundreds of spectators were on hand on Sunday to watch another piece of history be brought down. The Rahmedetal Viaduct was a 453-meter long viaduct with a height of 75 meters, spanning the Rahmede and another highway. The viaduct was built in 1968 as part of the project to extend the motorway from Frankfurt (Main) to Cologne.

The viaduct was one of over 20 along the highway that have been under the loop because of structural deficiencies resulting in its immediate closure. The bridge deteriorated to a point where it could not be rehabilitated and was shut down on December 2, 2021. Traffic has since been re-routed to the local roads going through Lüdenscheidt causing traffic jams. Also affected by the closure has been other highways, including the Motorway 3, which runs parallel to the 45.

After several delays due to finances plus moving the earth underneath the viaduct, crews brought down the 17,000 ton structure consisting of metal and concrete at 12:00pm on Sunday, using over 2000 explosives. It took over three seconds to bring the viaduct down. A video summarizing the implosion can be seen below:

After the debris has been cleared, a new viaduct will be constructed in its place. Given the current circumstances, it is expected that the new structure and the section of highway will both open in 2027. Drivers are expected to allow for extra time while traveling in and around Lüdenscheidt between now and then. When traveling along other routes, including the Motorway 3, delays due to congestion are expected to continue as well.

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BHC Pic of the Week Nr. 236 (Tribute to David Backlin)

Moving on in the series dedicated to David Backlin, we have this structure in western Maryland. The Casselman Bridge is a stone arch bridge that spans the river bearing the same name, located just east of Grantsville. The bridge has an 80-foot arch main span, but the total length of the bridge is 354-feet.

The bridge was constructed in 1813-14 under the direction of David Schriver, Jr. who was the superintendant of the National Road. The 627-mile (1000 km) road was constructed from 1811 to 1837 and ran from Cumberland, Maryland to St. Louis. It was the first national highway in the history of the United States and was the main artery for settlers seeking a new life out west to areas between the Potomac and the Mississippi Rivers. Sections of the original National Road including one at this bridge can be found today and have been preserved.

The bridge itself served traffic until it was bypassed in 1933 with a steel structure which now serves the alternate route of US Hwy. 40. A marker depicting the bridge’s history and its significance can be found at its entrance and reads as follows:

Erected 1813 by David Shriver, Jr.,
Sup’t of the “Cumberland Road” (The
National Road). This 80 foot span
was the largest stone arch in America
at the time. It was continuously
used from 1813 to 1933.

The bridge was closed to traffic altogether in 1953 and was converted into a pedestrian crossing. It has since been rehabilitated four times since the mid-1950s: 1979, 1996, 2002, and 2012. Because of its significance and its unusual arch design, the bridge was declared a National Landmark in 1964 and was one of the first bridges to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The bridge and the adjacent land is now a state park, where one can have a picnic at the bridge or fish in the Casselman River. In addition to walking over the historic bridge, one can find historic structures to the east of the park including Stanton’s Mill, which is also listed on National Register of Historic Places, and the restored log cabin craft shops of Spruce Forest Artisan Village. These additional facilities make the Casselman Bridge an attractive site for tourists wanting to break while traveling along the National Road.

This photo was taken by David Backlin in March, shortly before his passing.

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