The Incredible Magdeburg Water Bridge, Magdeburg, Germany

The Magdeburg Water Bridge is a large navigable aqueduct in central Germany, located near Magdeburg. The largest canal under bridge in Europe, it spans the river Elbe and directly connects the Mittelland kanal to the west and Elbe-Havel Canal to the east of the river, allowing large commercial ships to pass between the Rhineland and Berlin without having to descend into and then climb out of the Elbe itself. The bridge was completed in 2003.

Planning for the canal crossing dates back to at least the beginning of the 20th century. Work on the Mittelland kanal began in 1905, while work on the overall project continued until 1942, when all construction was brought to a halt because of World War II. After the war, the government of East Germany did not resume work on the project because east-west trade was no longer important in the context of the Cold War. After the reunification of Germany, the reestablishment of major water transport routes made the water bridge a priority again. Work started in 1998, with construction taking six years and costing €501 million. The water bridge now connects Berlin’s inland harbor network with the ports along the Rhine River. The aqueduct's tough structure incorporates 24,000 tons of steel and 68,000 cubic meters of concrete.

 

 

 

The 918 meter-long Magdeburg Bridge is the longest navigable aqueduct in the world. The water bridge has a width of 34 meters with water depth of 4.25 meters for the vessels to pass through. At least 24,000metrical tons of steel along with over concrete 68,000cubic meters were used to build the Channel Bridge, allowing large commercial vessels to pass through.

The Canal Bridge comprises two parts such as the Main Bridge and the Approach Bridge. The bridge also features a double lock that was constructed to enable vessels to descend from the level of the bridge and Mittelland Canal to that of the Elbe-Havel Canal. In addition, a single lock was built at Rothenseein order to help vessels descend from the bridge level to the Elbe and the Magdeburg harbor. Though following a similar structural design, both bridges follow a different design approach and this change in design is illustrated by the tall concrete towers positioned on the three abutments. The Main Bridge is a 3-span continuous steel beam bridge, while the Approach Bridge is a multi-span steel beam bridge.