Detour for Heavy Loads: Reduction of Traffic Load Aims to Enable Continued Use of the Köhlbrand Bridge

The traffic load on the Köhlbrand Bridge must be reduced to ensure traffic safety and functional operations on the bridge, according to a current evaluation of the condition of the structure. Beginning on 1 May 2026, permit-required transports of heavy loads over 44 metric tons will be rerouted and no longer allowed to use the Köhlbrand Bridge. The goal is to ensure that the bridge can remain in operation for freight transports until a replacement for the bridge goes into service in the future. There will be no restrictions on cars or trucks with a weight under 44 tons.

The traffic load has nearly doubled since the bridge was opened in 1974. Around 32,000 vehicles drove over the Köhlbrand Bridge on a typical weekday in 2023. Moreover, truck traffic has almost doubled since 1980. A single heavy-load transport can cause more than a thousand times the damage caused by a normal truck, thus leading to a disproportionately high burden on the construction and much faster wear.

The Köhlbrand Bridge is particularly important for the Port of Hamburg and therefore has been closely checked, constantly monitored, and carefully maintained over the past many years. The results of the current structural inspection now show an alarming increase in the rate of damage to the bridge’s longitudinal ribs. Increased cracks and flaking as well as noticeably deteriorating material quality are evident in the area of the ramps, as well.

Based on an extensive evaluation by the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) and external experts, the reduction of the traffic load is imperative to ensure that the Köhlbrand Bridge can remain in operation and thus guarantee that conditions for regular traffic in the port stay as stable as possible.

Rerouting of heavy goods transports that require permits

In accord with the transportation office and the police, several alternative routes in the port area can be used by the transports affected by this detour:

A255 / Veddel junction, via Veddeler Damm, Am Saalehafen, Rampenstraße, Tunnelstraße
A1 / Hamburg-Stillhorn junction or B75 / Hamburg-Kornweide junction via Hohe Schaar Str., Kornweide
A7 / Hamburg-Hausbruch junction via Rehedamm, Hohe Schaar Str., Kattwykdamm, Moorburger Hauptdeich, Fürstenmoordamm, over the Kattwyk Bridge and the Retheklapp Bridge

Structural condition and measures

Large structures such as the Köhlbrand Bridge are regularly inspected and categorized according to the DIN 1076 standard for uniform examination, evaluation, recording, and assessment of the results of structural inspection. In addition to the major inspections, checks on specific structural elements and further special tests are carried out if the ongoing monitoring of the bridge indicates that they are needed.

Planning and implementation of maintenance measures are based on changes in the structural conditions. In the case of the Köhlbrand Bridge, such work is part of the short‑, mid‑, and long-term planning. To minimize negative effects on port traffic, it is coordinated to take place so that the bridge is only closed as shortly as possible during low-traffic weekend periods. However, even large-scale maintenance and renovation cannot prevent material deterioration, which is why stopping on the bridge was forbidden in 2012 and a minimal-distance rule for trucks was added in 2019. The measure now to be introduced also serves to reduce the load, and other measures may be added if further developments show them to be necessary.