Height 68 metres (223 ft) Total length 2,218 m Material Steel | Opened 11 June 1920 Clearance below 42 m Bridge type Truss bridge | |
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Official name Eisenbahnhochbrücke Hochdonn Similar Kiel Canal, Rendsburg High Bridge, Levensau High Bridge, Hindenburgdamm, Transporter bridge | ||
The Hochdonn High Bridge (Hochbrücke Hochdonn in German) is a railway bridge in the Marsh Railway crossing the Kiel Canal near Hochdonn, Germany. It is a riveted steel bridge, "exposed to extreme railway traffic".
History
The rail bridge was opened on June 11, 1920.
The central part of the main span suffered from general deterioration, but damage caused by two ship collisions made it necessary to substitute a new center part. On November 6, 2006, the 1.465-metric-ton (3,230 lb) 121.10-meter (397.3 ft) long span was removed and carefully passed between the 120-meter gap of the two existing support points. Once removed, the steel structure was lowered onto a transport barge. The new structure that arrived the night before on another transport barge was lifted into place. While lowering and lifting work was going on, this section of the canal was closed and a large number of ships were waiting to pass; the alternative was to navigate around the northern tip of Denmark.
The new central span was also raised by 2 meters (6.6 ft) to a height of 42 meters (138 ft) above the canal, the same height as other bridges on the canal.