Renovation or new construction? Garmisch's railway bridge faces a major challenge!

Renovation or new construction? Garmisch's railway bridge faces a major challenge!

The railway bridge on St.-Martin-Straße in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is facing greater challenges: Due to the high volume of traffic caused by heavy goods trains and its advanced aging, it needs to be comprehensively renovated. Deutsche Bahn (DB) has already installed a monitoring system to monitor the structural integrity of the bridge. Initial renovation work was carried out this year, but further work is planned for 2025 to add additional support. The deputy head of the market construction authority, Markus Gehrle-Neff, emphasizes that this is necessary to relieve the load on the bridge and to repair possible damage such as cracks in the concrete Mercury reported.

A complete rebuild of the bridge is also being considered as a serious option, raising concerns about possible traffic disruptions in the area. Local politicians like Anton Hofer are calling for an early discussion of the possible impacts, especially if this construction work coincides with plans for the new campus. This concern was raised during a meeting of the building committee, but Mayor Elisabeth Koch said that now was not the right time to speculate about such “horror scenarios”. In contrast, Hofer is pushing for proactive preparations to ensure both safety and traffic conditions, he reported the Green Party Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

In a broader context, the future of Richard-Strauss-Platz and the planned redesign of the Congress Center will be discussed as part of a citizens' dialogue. Not only should renovation or new construction options be discussed, but the demands and wishes of citizens should also be collected in order to develop a concept that is widely accepted. The hope behind it is to create a meeting center for Garmisch-Partenkirchen that promotes cultural exchange and meets the needs of the community.