County Closes Ohre Bridge Between Wolmirstedt and Elbeu Until Further Notice

On the afternoon of September 14, the Börde district closed the Ohre Bridge between Wolmirstedt and the neighborhood of Elbeu. Previous bridge inspections had revealed that the structure was no longer stable and was in danger of collapsing.

The town of Wolmirstedt was informed of the closure at the very last minute—specifically, not until the morning of September 14. Mayor Mike Steffens criticized this. While he acknowledged that it was understandable the Ohre Bridge had to be closed for the safety of residents, “However, as a city, we should have been notified much earlier than just a few hours before the closure,” said the mayor.

The Börde district, as the entity responsible for the bridge, is currently developing a closure and detour plan, and the city of Wolmirstedt will provide information on this plan as soon as it is available.

The closure is expected to remain in effect indefinitely for the time being. Among other options, there is talk of tearing down the Ohre Bridge due to its serious defects and rebuilding it.

The Wolmirstedt Fire Department was notified by the city administration immediately after learning of the upcoming road closure and adjusted its operational plans (as it does with every road closure) to reflect the circumstances.

School buses are to be routed along the rural road running alongside the future stadium between Schwimmbadstraße and Samsweger Straße. However, due to the width of the buses, this is only possible if other traffic does not use this road. Motorists are not permitted to use this road anyway.

However, to ensure that buses can pass unimpeded, a temporary barrier system will be installed on Schwimmbadstraße near the high school, which can only be operated by bus drivers. This measure will remain in effect until Samsweger Straße—the second road closure in the city—is reopened.