Gänstor Bridge: “Wedding” postponed by two nights – what drivers need to know now

Ulm/Neu-Ulm. The next major construction milestone at the Gänstor Bridge is being postponed again: The planned “wedding,” meaning the first closing of the last gap between two bridge sections, is now scheduled to take place on the night from Thursday to Friday. For car traffic, this means three nightly full closures with detours this week. According to the city of Ulm, the pedestrian and bicycle path will remain open during this time.

Why the schedule has been postponed again

In this construction phase, the process depends less on work on site and more on logistics: Four heavy components, each weighing up to 40 tons, are being delivered for the connection of the new western side of the bridge. The elements are being brought to Ulm by heavy transport; according to the project, they come from Krakow.

The “wedding” had already been postponed twice. Initially, the heavy transport permit was adjusted, according to project manager Timo Roth, due to the high traffic volume around Pentecost – which pushed the measure back in the calendar. Then, the transport encountered a construction site near Görlitz: There, the oversized vehicle only got through with additional escort, which had not originally been planned. Because the parts were therefore expected to arrive later, the installation could not be carried out as intended.

According to the current status, the components are expected to arrive in Ulm only in the early hours of Thursday morning. The city has therefore scheduled the connection of the bridge sections for the night from Thursday to Friday; the night from Friday to Saturday is planned as a buffer.

What the closures mean in concrete terms

For the installation work, the Gänstor Bridge will be completely closed to motor vehicle traffic from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights. The city of Ulm has announced the nightly full closures for the duration of the work. During this time, car traffic will be diverted via the Herd Bridge and the Adenauer Bridge.

For pedestrians and cyclists, the key point is: The pedestrian and bicycle path on the Gänstor Bridge will remain open during the nightly work, according to the city.

A mobile crane will be used on site to lift the components directly from the heavy transporter into their final position. The full closures are therefore not only a safety measure, but also part of the construction process: When lifting and positioning large segments, the work areas must remain clear. The city of Ulm is also accompanying the measure with a livestream from the construction site.

Milestone – but not the end of the construction site

Although closing the gap marks a visible milestone, the new half of the bridge is not yet finished. After installation, the components must be fixed and welded, followed by the road surface.

According to the current schedule, traffic is expected to roll over the new Gänstor Bridge for the first time at the beginning of September. The bridge is a central Danube crossing; in the future, tens of thousands of cars per day are expected to drive over it again.

Politically and organizationally, the project will remain a long-term undertaking even after the “wedding”: As soon as the new western side is in operation, demolition and reconstruction of the eastern half of the bridge will follow. The entire project is scheduled for completion at the end of 2027; the costs are estimated at 53 million euros.