Stau-altraum in Berlin-Mitte: Mühlendammbrücke is being rebuilt!

Stau-altraum in Berlin-Mitte: Mühlendammbrücke is being rebuilt!

A drastic intervention in the transport infrastructure of Berlin is imminent: The Senate started the demolition of the Mühlendamm Bridge in Berlin-Mitte on Wednesday, which is used every day by around 74,000 vehicles. This 116 -meter -long bridge, which leads the Mühlendamm over the Spree and connects the fishing island with the Nikolaiviertel, has been under constant observation since August 2018 due to its dilapidated structure. Experts warn that the bridge, which was built in 1968, is at risk because the materials used are considered unstable. Permanent monitoring with almost 100 sensors has already pointed out problems several times, and an almost five meter long crack in the concrete was discovered in 2021. Therefore, you see no other way in the Senate than to plan a replacement building that should be completed by the beginning of 2029. Interestingly, the new bridge, which will be 38 meters long, will be seven meters narrower than your predecessor, as bz-berlin.de reports.

The construction is carried out in several phases so as not to bring traffic to a complete standstill. Traffic has been reduced to just one trace per direction for months, and cyclists should not be neglected either. The construction project on the Mühlendamm Bridge is reminiscent of the history of the Monbijoubrücke, which is also located in Berlin and has an interesting past. This bridge, which leads to the museum island, was completed in 1904 and had survived several destruction and reconstruction. The northern part was damaged by the German Wehrmacht in 1945 and could only be restored after the fall of the Berlin Wall between 1990 and 2000. The architectural style and the old decorations of the Monbijoubrücke show the highly emotional connection of the Berlin population to their buildings, as on below documents.

If you look into the future, the new Mühlendamm Bridge could offer space for tram rails, but for the time being, these plans were put on hold. The first partial bridge is to be completed at the end of 2026, in early 2027, while the entire construction should be completed by 2029. The diversions, also open to trucks, should help to avoid traffic jams in the city center while the construction work progresses.