New Bascule Bridge Rethe, Port of Hamburg

Existing Lifting Bridge Rethe, Hamburg Port Client: HPA Hamburg Port Authority Construction Costs: 50 mill. € Services: Preliminary Design, Design, Approval Documents Period: 2006 - 2007 Cooperation: Engineers Partnership with ICB Hamburg GmbH

The existing lifting bridge Rethe crossing the harbor fairway Rethe was built in 1934. It serves as a main road and rail link between the Hamburg harbor districts Neuhof in the north and Hohe Schaar resp. Harburg in the south, providing a relief road for the main traffic corridor via the Köhlbrand bridge.

The present bridge and in particular its mechanical drive prove to be in a worn-out state, necessitating a replacement by a new structure within the coming few years.

Besides implementing a new 104 m spanning bascule bridge over the fairway Rethe, it is another aim of this infrastructure project to improve the present conflicting traffic pattern by breaking up the road and railway lines. This will be achieved by guiding the road traffic via a new 250 m long bridge over the railway marshalling yard, thus replacing existing level crossings.


All structures will have to be implemented mainly without interrupting the shipping on the fairway and without hampering crossing road and railway traffic.

Sellhorn being a member of the Engineers Partnership was contracted to take over the project management on behalf of Hamburg Port Authority and to prepare the design for a widened fairway Rethe, the elevated 250 m long road bridge, stormtide protection walls and strengthened embankments.

The documents for the public approval procedure will be completed by the second half of 2007, whereas the completion of the whole project is expected to be in 2011.