Canal Bridge Magdeburg
Status: Real
A photo of a "water bridge" is circulating around, accompanied by this caption:Water Bridge in Germany.... What a feat! Six years, 500 million euros, 918 meters long.......now this is engineering! This is a channel-bridge over the River Elbe and joins the former East and West Germany, as part of the unification project. It is located in the city of Magdeburg, near Berlin. The photo was taken on the day of inauguration. To those who appreciate engineering projects.....
No, the picture hasn't been photoshopped. It's a real water bridge. Amazingly, the information in the accompanying caption is also correct. It is 918 meters long, and it did cost over half-a-billion euros to construct. (thanks to Dipankar for sending the photo)
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
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Reminds me of the Log Flumes at six flags.
Posted by X in McKinney, TX on Tue Oct 11, 2005 at 09:20 AM
Six years of construction and only 500million euros. How is that the federal goverment (of US) was spending 2 billion! a day after katrina in Lousiana? I just don't get it...
Posted by AAB on Tue Oct 11, 2005 at 12:59 PM
This Water Bridge looks way cool.
However, I'm at a loss to come up with some reason they might need such a thing.
Are you sure this is real, Alex?
Posted by Big Gary in Dallas in Dallas, Texas on Tue Oct 11, 2005 at 03:00 PM
However, I'm at a loss to come up with some reason they might need such a thing.
Are you sure this is real, Alex?
Transportation architecture like this has been around since the Romans.
Posted by Bill in SF,MA,USA on Tue Oct 11, 2005 at 06:06 PM
Here's another article about the bridge:
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,990878,00.html
It seems that they wanted to link together two shipping canals.
Posted by Alex in San Diego on Tue Oct 11, 2005 at 06:16 PM
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,990878,00.html
It seems that they wanted to link together two shipping canals.
Water bridges are nothing new, as a previous commenter noted. There used to be one in Washington, DC, carrying the C&O canal over the Potomac River. It was the Aqueduct Bridge, and it once stood where today's Key Bridge stands. You can still see the piers in the water. (http://www.victoriansecrets.net/aqueduct.html and http://www.hrl.lib.state.va.us/Handley/Archives/Aqueduct Bridge 1352.htm)
Posted by Gene Cowan on Tue Oct 11, 2005 at 07:58 PM
I come from a family of shipmen. I'm born and raised on Dutch, German and Belgian rivers and canals. I haven't been on the Magdeburg aquaduct, but I have on some others. It's a funny experience to be on a ship above a road with cars and all.
There are also elevators to take ships to a canal at a higher level:
"Strépy-Thieu, is of course well-known for its ship elevator, the largest in the world. Using the elevator, a ship can take the difference in level of 73 metres, between the basin of the Scheldt and the basin of the Meuse, in only seven minutes."
http://services-techniques.met.wallonie.be/en/waterways/strepythieu_boat_lift/
http://www.rars.dk/ferie2004/ascenseur.html
http://users.skynet.be/leclercq/lr6.htm
Posted by Henri in The Netherlands on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 12:16 AM
There are also elevators to take ships to a canal at a higher level:
"Strépy-Thieu, is of course well-known for its ship elevator, the largest in the world. Using the elevator, a ship can take the difference in level of 73 metres, between the basin of the Scheldt and the basin of the Meuse, in only seven minutes."
http://services-techniques.met.wallonie.be/en/waterways/strepythieu_boat_lift/
http://www.rars.dk/ferie2004/ascenseur.html
http://users.skynet.be/leclercq/lr6.htm
You mean a picture with a REAL caption?? AMAZING.
Posted by Maegan in Tampa, FL - USA on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 02:57 AM
... "It seems that they wanted to link together two shipping canals."
I gathered that from the first article, but what I don't understand is why they couldn't just dig a 1-km-long ditch between the two canals, instead of building a (presumably much more difficult and expensive) "water bridge."
Posted by Big Gary in Dallas in Dallas, Texas on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 10:57 AM
I gathered that from the first article, but what I don't understand is why they couldn't just dig a 1-km-long ditch between the two canals, instead of building a (presumably much more difficult and expensive) "water bridge."
"... why they couldn't just dig a 1-km-long ditch between the two canals ..."
Since the aquaduct (water bridge) crosses the river Elbe, I can think of two reasons.
A) The canals connected are at a higher level than the river Elbe.
B) The canal-system is made separate from the river Elbe to ensure a constant water mark (water height) and a reliable transport route.
As you can read on http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,990878,00.html : "The water bridge will enable river barges to avoid a lengthy and sometimes unreliable passage along the Elbe. Shipping can often come to a halt on the stretch if the river’s water mark falls to unacceptably low levels."
In Germany the rivers have their source in the mountains and they stream through The Netherlands to the sea. When the snow in the mountains is melting the water can get very high. And the water can get very low too.
If I remember right, the walls along the river Rhine in the city of Köln (Cologne) are about 40 feet high. I've seen the water above them, flooding the city.
Posted by Henri Kaper in The Netherlands on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 01:12 PM
Since the aquaduct (water bridge) crosses the river Elbe, I can think of two reasons.
A) The canals connected are at a higher level than the river Elbe.
B) The canal-system is made separate from the river Elbe to ensure a constant water mark (water height) and a reliable transport route.
As you can read on http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,990878,00.html : "The water bridge will enable river barges to avoid a lengthy and sometimes unreliable passage along the Elbe. Shipping can often come to a halt on the stretch if the river’s water mark falls to unacceptably low levels."
In Germany the rivers have their source in the mountains and they stream through The Netherlands to the sea. When the snow in the mountains is melting the water can get very high. And the water can get very low too.
If I remember right, the walls along the river Rhine in the city of Köln (Cologne) are about 40 feet high. I've seen the water above them, flooding the city.
" ...In Germany the rivers have their source in the mountains and they stream through The Netherlands to the sea."
Well, some of them do, but I believe the Elbe and the other rivers mentioned in this news story run north to the Baltic Sea.
Posted by Big Gary in Dallas in Dallas, Texas on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 03:35 PM
Well, some of them do, but I believe the Elbe and the other rivers mentioned in this news story run north to the Baltic Sea.
Maybe they just wanted to show off.
Posted by Alex in San Diego on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 08:56 PM
"Well, some of them do, but I believe the Elbe and the other rivers mentioned in this news story run north to the Baltic Sea."
I've never been good at topography.
Anyway, regardless where the Elbe runs to, it has the problem the water sometimes gets to low for ships. So ...
Posted by Henri in The Netherlands on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 11:07 PM
I've never been good at topography.
Anyway, regardless where the Elbe runs to, it has the problem the water sometimes gets to low for ships. So ...ITS PREATY COOL I GESS
Posted by CAPTEN ARCH in ST, LOUIS on Tue Oct 18, 2005 at 08:27 AM
Bill is right, water bridges for canals have been around since Roman times and the British used several for the Navigations, a system of canals for transport still used today.
having said that, this one looks a damn site bigger and wider than those. What sort of cumec capacity doe sit have? Anyone know?
Posted by DFSTuckey in Auckland New Zealand on Tue Oct 18, 2005 at 11:14 PM
having said that, this one looks a damn site bigger and wider than those. What sort of cumec capacity doe sit have? Anyone know?
Here's a picture explaining why they built it:
Posted by Clark Cox on Tue Dec 06, 2005 at 01:16 PM
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