What should have been a typical bridge opening turned into a spectacle in itself, as officials and construction workers noticed something was amiss with a new bridge in southern Germany.
“The bridge doesn’t fit,” said Thomas Grün, mayor of Bürgstadt in the state of Bavaria, turning to a group of kindergarten children.
Children, who were waiting to test the new pedestrian and cycling bridge over the Erf River, comforted the mayor – telling him that at home their building block game projects sometimes also malfunction, reported locals. Main-Echo friday newspaper, counting the canceled installations on Thursday.
The glossy gray aluminum structure is quite long, but to one side is a support that is mounted too deep 14.5 cm (6 inches), the newspaper said.
Officers only realized the mistake after the 3.5-ton bridge was suspended in the air, hung by a crane and ready to be installed.
Workers say undocumented plinths have been neglected, but a quick fix will see the ranges lifted into place next week.
The error meant that the scaffolding company had to restore its emergency crossing so that pedestrians still had access to a tributary of the Main River in central Germany.
Despite Germany’s reputation for precision , The tribulation of the Bürgstadt bridge shows that no one is immune from engineering accidents, even if they are minor.
Long shipping journey
Thursday had begun with a midnight police escort from a distance from the bridge builder yard in Engen-Welschingen near Constance, 270 kilometers (170 miles) north to Bürgstadt in the Franconia region of Bavaria.
The dark gray metal range, favored for its sustainability and lighter weight, became important after the Bürgstadt board first hoped in 2019 to repair the previous wooden bridge.
However, when removed, the wooden components of the old bridge proved to be partially rotten when examined by experts.
Good luck next time
Engen-based bridge supplier, Werner Glück, yang The company quotes deliveries of more than 800 duration For many years, including several years ago to England and Scotland, Friday was philosophical.
How did it happen? His company has built the Bürgstadt Erf bridge using two inventory plans, “but at different locations,” he admits Main-Echo newspaper.
Next time, hope things go better, says Glück, whose name in English just happens to mean luck or luck.
ipj / rs (dpa, Main-Echo)