Speyer Viaduct: Renovation costs more and takes longer!

Speyer Viaduct: Renovation costs more and takes longer!

The Shipka Pass in Speyer, a historic viaduct, faces enormous challenges. As the Schwetzinger newspaper reported, the renovation of the pedestrian bridge will be more expensive and take longer than originally planned. Rust and other damage have eaten deep into the metal, which is seriously endangering the condition of the bridge. Florian Benner, head of the city's civil engineering department, describes the extensive work: "It's quite a lot of work," and emphasizes the need to replace entire parts rather than repair small damage. The total costs of the renovation, which were originally estimated at 4.4 million euros, are now unlikely to be sufficient.

The bridge parts are currently at the steel construction company BGM in Meißenheim, where they are being thoroughly overhauled. Each of the approximately 6,000 rivets that hold the structure together must be processed individually. This is not an everyday construction project - the coordination requires a lot of effort, as the tasks have to be carried out in parallel in order to take advantage of the necessary funding of two million euros from the state. Specialists such as the Mannheim Welding Technical Training and Research Institute are also involved to check the quality of the materials Rhine Palatinate reported.

Postponement of reconstruction

Originally scheduled for March 2025, the reconstruction of the Shipka Pass is expected to be delayed until the summer. This delay is also due to necessary coordination with the railway, which has to close the tracks below the bridge during the work. Despite the challenges, Shipka Pass remains a significant element of the city's history and will hopefully return to its place soon.