Germany: Brand new bridge 'doesn't fit'

What was supposed to be a typical bridge unveiling turned into a spectacle of its own, when officials and construction workers noticed something was a little off with a brand new bridge in southern Germany.

"The bridge doesn't fit," said Thomas Grün, the mayor of Bürgstadt in the state of Bavaria, turning to a group of kindergarten children.

The children, who were waiting to test out new pedestrian and biking bridge over the Erf River, consoled the mayor — telling him that at home, their building block play projects sometimes don't work either, reported the local Main-Echo newspaper Friday, recounting Thursday's aborted installation.

The glistening grey aluminum structure was long enough, but on one side a strut was mounted 14.5 centimeters (6 inches) too deep, the paper reported.

Officials only realized the mistake after the 3.5-ton bridge was already hanging in the air, suspended by a crane and ready to be installed.

Workers said a wooden plinth that hadn't been documented had been overlooked, but a quick fix should see the span lifted into place next week. 

The glitch meant that a scaffolding firm had to reinstate its makeshift crossing so pedestrians still had access over the tributary of Germany's central Main River.

Despite Germany's reputation for precision , Bürgstadt's bridge woes demonstrated that neither are immune from engineering mishaps, even if small.

Long delivery journey

Thursday had begun with a midnight police escort of the span from bridge builders' yards at Engen-Welschingen near Constance, 270 kilometers (170 miles) north to Bürgstadt in Bavaria's Franconia region.

The dark grey metal span, favored for its sustainability and lighter weight, had become necessary after Bürgstadt's council first hoped in 2019 to get the previous wooden bridge repaired.

Hoisted away, however, the wooden components of the old bridge, proved partly rotten when examined by experts.

Good luck next time

Engen-based bridge supplier Werner Glück, whose firm cites the delivery of more than 800 spans over the years, including several last year to England and Scotland, was philosophical Friday.

How did the mistake happen?  His firm had fabricated the Bürgstadt Erf bridge using two inventory plans, "but on site it was different," he conceded to the Main-Echo newspaper.

Next time, it would be hopefully run better, said Glück, whose name in English, incidentally, means luck or good fortune.

ipj/rs (dpa, Main-Echo)