The bridge has an unusual design that allows the central portion to be raised with the tide on a pontoon and towed away to allow the passage of shipping.
The 170m-long bridge is 21m and weighs a total of 2,300t. It is the biggest in the new HafenCity development and will help to boost development to the eastern part of the district. Buro Happold and Wilkinson Eyre worked with developer HafenCity to design the bridge, which will open as a dual carriageway, expanding to three in the future. There are also cycle lanes on both sides of the bridge and footpaths on the outer edges of the main carriageway.
The central section is removable, allowing large ships to reach the Baakenhafen peninsula in the most direct route. The solution harnesses the power of the tide; at low tide, a hub pontoon is placed under the bridge which then floats up with tide. When the clearance height of 2.5m is achieved, tugboats carry the pontoon and central section out of the way, allowing ships to pass through the middle of the bridge. The bridge was assembled in three parts over several days.
The three parts had been fabricated in Belgium, then shipped across the North Sea and the River Elbe to the port of Hamburg. Three cranes with capacities of 1,200t were brought to Hamburg especially for the operation, as the two outer sections of the bridge weigh approximately 900t and the central section is about 500t. The bridge will open to the public and then to vehicle traffic during a festival next month.
