Surfing on the Elbe River

connecting people

The Norderelb Bridge (K6), located on the oldest German federal motorway (A1), connects the north of Germany with its south and will soon link the Fehmarnsund with the northern European countries. The ever-increasing volume of traffic required the motorway to be widened to eight traffic lanes and the old Norderelb Bridge to be replaced.

paving the way

The Norderelb Bridge (K6) is part of GRASSL’s history. Starting with the conversion of the original cable-stayed bridge in 1985, GRASSL has been responsible for all essential design and checking tasks for the bridge, ensuring that the structure has remained functional until this day. For the design of the bridge replacement, the client decided to hold a competition. Together with the architects PPL we chose to develop a design that is visually different from the present structure. We developed a new and powerful structure with a shape that dynamically links the two river banks. Our clear and confident design in which we deliberately abandoned the historical context was awarded second place.

creating construction culture

Shorter approach spans on both ends of the bridge set the stage for the main arch span which takes a 204?m leap over the Norderelbe River. The design sets an important mark for the Elbe River crossing and represents a highly visible reference point. The arch exudes dynamism with a calm at its centre. Surfing the waves on the elbe river would have been great.