Germany Parks 24 Vans On 50-year-old Bridge To Take a look at How A lot It May Nonetheless Face up to

Germany parks 24 vans shut collectively in the midst of an autobahn bridge at a top of 136 meters (446 ft).

The 960-ton load was getting used to check how a lot the badly broken 50-year-old construction may nonetheless stand up to.

Whereas the take a look at outcomes are nonetheless being evaluated, setting a pace restrict, closing it to heavy automobiles may prolong the bridge’s life.

As many as 5,000 bridges alongside Germany’s autobahns have to be renovated or rebuilt as rapidly as doable.

The Moseltal bridge in Germany just lately underwent a stress take a look at to see how a lot the badly broken 50-plus-year-old construction may nonetheless stand up to after cracks have been found all through the metal construction in early 2023.

In the course of the take a look at, twenty-four (24) brilliant crimson vans (960-ton load) have been parked shut collectively in the midst of the broad autobahn bridge at a top of 136 meters (446 ft).

Whereas the take a look at outcomes are nonetheless being evaluated, setting a pace restrict and shutting it to heavy automobiles may prolong the bridge’s life – although DW notes that even these restrictions can’t rule out a sudden collapse.

However the Moseltal bridge just isn’t an remoted case as many as 5,000 of the 40,000 bridges alongside Germany’s autobahns are in such poor situation that they urgently want restore.

“Greater than half of the autobahn bridges have been constructed earlier than 1985, together with many of the main valley bridges in former West Germany,” DW mentioned in its report.

“As they have been designed for much less visitors and lighter automobiles, the bridges at the moment are so overloaded that many are displaying indicators of decay. On high of that, too little has been performed in recent times to keep up them.”