The A45 Rahmede viaduct has been blown up. The 17,000-ton colossus fell right into the drop bed. However, a residential building was damaged. The live ticker to read.

  • The Rahmede Viaduct is history. As planned, the A45 bridge was blown up at 12 noon sharp.
  • Demolition master Michael Schneider is highly satisfied with the blasting.
  • The bridge fell into the drop bed exactly according to plan, reports wa.de.
  • This live ticker has ended.

Update, 14:51 p.m.: 17,000 tons of steel and concrete lie in the Rahmedetal. The dilapidated A45 motorway bridge, which was blown up punctually at 12 noon on Sunday, is history. A glimmer of hope for the people in the region, who are now hoping for the bridge to be rebuilt as quickly as possible in order to relieve the roads in the region, which has been battered by the bridge closure. However, this will take a few more years.

The first step is to remove the scrap from the old bridge. This is expected to last until mid-June. Only then can the new building slowly be tackled in concrete terms. By the way: Around 90 percent of the bridge scrap is recycled. The concrete is to be further processed. the steel can be melted down. "It's all going back into the cycle," says Michael Neumann, project manager for the A45 at Autobahn GmbH.

Residential building damaged by blowing up of the A45 Rahmedetal bridge

Update, 13:51 p.m.: Even though the demolition of the Rahmedetal bridge was successful, there was damage to a residential building nearby. The roof of the house was damaged by the blast wave of the blast and partially covered, reports wa.de. Accordingly, roofers had already been commissioned to repair the damage. The house is still habitable, but it is not yet clear whether the homeowners will still have to be accommodated elsewhere for the time being.

Transport Minister Wissing satisfied with demolition

Update, 13:15 p.m.: Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing expressed his satisfaction with the demolition of the Rahmede Viaduct. "It's an impressive experience. You can tell that masses have come down here. You could feel the blast wave, but it's also impressive to see the precision with which the blast took place. I am pleased for the population that there is now a signal of hope that things will continue. That was a milestone, now it's time to continue," said the FDP politician. This refers to the planned new construction of the bridge in the next few years.

Update, 12:03 p.m.: According to initial findings, the demolition of the Rahmedetal bridge went exactly according to plan. "It couldn't have gone any better," demolition master Michael Schneider told WDR. The 17,000-ton structure just fell into the drop bed. After that, a gigantic cloud of dust rose over Lüdenscheid.

Once upon a time there was a bridge: the Rahmedetal bridge in Lüdenscheid was blown up. © Jan Schmitz

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Update, 11:59 a.m.: In a few moments, the famous "Three, Two, One – Ignition" follows. Then the Rahmedetal bridge is blown up.

Update, 11:57 a.m.: The last four minutes are running. Just now there was another explosive signal. At 11:59 a.m., the detonation is carried out to scare birds away from the bridge. Then, at 12 noon, the big bang follows and the 17,000-ton colossus falls.

Blasting of the A45 Rahmedetal bridge – the last minutes are running

Update, 11:50 a.m.: The last ten minutes until the blast are running. Then, at 12 o'clock sharp, the Rahmedetal bridge is to fall. It will certainly not be an ordinary blast. According to demolition master Michael Schneider, the Rahmede viaduct is the highest bridge that has been blown up in Germany to date, along with the Rinsdorf viaduct, which was blown up in 2022.

Demolition of the A45 Rahmedetal bridge – new bridge could be given a different name

Update, 11:43 a.m.: Even though the Rahmedetal bridge is still standing, plans for a new building have of course been underway in the background for a long time. However, the new bridge that will then be built could be given a different name. "That's a good idea," said Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing in an interview with WDR. According to Wissing, at best, even the local people should be able to decide on a new name.

Schedule for the demolition of the Rahmedetal bridge

Update, 11:00 a.m.: Just under an hour to go until the Rahmedetal bridge is blown up. Here is an overview of the most important time information for the time:

  • From 11:35 a.m.: Explosive signals will sound several times as a warning
  • 12 o'clock: At exactly 12 o'clock the Rahmedetal bridge is to be blown up
  • 12:20 p.m.: The action ends with another explosive signal

Public Viewing started in Lüdenscheid

Update, 10:25 a.m.: Only about 95 minutes left until the blowing up of the Rahmedetal bridge on the A45. In Lüdenscheid, public viewing in the city centre has now started, reports wa.de. Thousands of people will watch the demolition live on the big screen. In addition, political celebrities have also announced their attendance. Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) and NRW Transport Minister Oliver Krischer (Greens) have announced that they want to follow the explosion live on site.

Demolition of the A45 bridge: Procedure is precisely timed

Update, 9:35 a.m.: The blasting process is precisely timed. At 9:30 a.m., the search dog squads began to check the restricted area again. Thermal drones are also in use to ensure that no one is there anymore. The police have already blocked the access roads in the area of the bridge in the morning hours.

Before the bridge is blown up at exactly 12 noon, explosive signals sound several times from 11:35 a.m. onwards as a warning. With another explosive signal at around 12:20 p.m., the action is ended. After that, the result of the explosion is to be checked.

Final preparations are underway before the demolition of the Rahmede Viaduct

Update from May 7, 9:16 a.m.: The final preparations are entering the hot phase. And the tension rises. Because punctually at 12 o'clock today, the Rahmedetal bridge on the A45 in Lüdenscheid (NRW) will be blown up. On Sunday morning, the final preparatory work and safety measures began. According to Autobahn GmbH, the blast area was cordoned off within a radius of around 300 meters. Around 110 barrier posts have been set up for this purpose. In the morning, a squad with search dogs will also check the cordoned off area again.

At 12 o'clock, the concrete colossus is supposed to fall. The Rahmede viaduct is up to 70 metres high, 453 metres long and weighs around 17,000 tonnes. The drop bed, into which the structure is to fall after blasting, consists of 100,000 cubic meters of earth. For the demolition, about 150 kilograms of explosives were attached to the bridge piers in 2035 boreholes.

Rahmedetal bridge on the A45 will be blown up on Sunday

First reported on 6 May: Lüdenscheid – On Sunday, the time has come. At 12 o'clock sharp, the Rahmede viaduct on the A45 in Lüdenscheid is to be blown up. The 453,17-ton colossus made of concrete and steel is 000 meters long. From Sunday morning we will report here in the live ticker from the spectacular blasting. wa.de also reports live from the blowing up of the bridge on the A45.

The dilapidated A45 bridge in the Rahmedetal has been completely closed to car traffic since December 2021. © Zoonar.com/Rudy Fessel/Imago

Rahmede viaduct on the A45 will be blown up on Sunday

The Rahmede viaduct is a real problem child among the many dilapidated motorway bridges along the A45 Sauerland line. Since December 2021, the building has virtually no function. Since then, the Rahmede Bridge has been completely closed and may no longer be used.

Precautions have been taken for months for the demolition, which will also be broadcast live on WDR on Sunday. An overview shows wa.de when the demolition of the A45 bridge Rahmede will be shown live on TV. Michael Schneider will be the demolition master on site on Sunday. But precisely because of the slope of the bridge, blasting is not entirely uncomplicated even for an experienced demolition master like him, as wa.de reports. "The slopes here at the Rahmede viaduct are a special challenge. We have to prevent the bridge from slipping after the impact," explains Schneider. For this reason, a particularly high drop bed has been created under the bridge.

150 kilos of explosives to bring down Rahmede Bridge

On Sunday, the colossus is expected to fall. 150 kilograms of explosives distributed in more than 2000 holes in the bridge piers are intended to bring the viaduct to the ground as precisely as possible. Either way, the blast will be a spectacle. The city of Lüdenscheid even broadcasts the demolition on a large screen in the city center. It is precisely there that people are eagerly awaiting the demolition and the hopefully rapid rebuilding of the bridge. Since the full closure, the city has been particularly shaken by evasive traffic, which often seeks its way through the urban area. (bs)