Michaelbrücke closed to traffic for weeks after fire

The Michaelbrücke bridge in Friedrichshain is expected to be closed to traffic for several weeks after a fire.

According to a police spokeswoman, a wooden hut under the bridge caught fire on Wednesday morning. The flames spread to the bridge structure and caused significant damage.

Possible impairment of load-bearing capacity

According to the Senate Department for Transport, structural engineers discovered significant damage to the bridge's southern abutment and the superstructure, including the bearing structures, after the fire. However, the stability of the structure is not at risk, they said. Detailed tests will now be carried out to determine the extent to which the load-bearing capacity of the structure may be impaired. Cleaning and further investigations are necessary and initial results are expected in around four weeks.

Full closure for car traffic

Until the tests are finished, the structure must remain fully closed to car traffic, according to the Senate Department for Transport. Pedestrian and bicycle traffic, which had also been temporarily suspended for safety reasons, will be possible again in both directions. The bridge connects the districts of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg and Mitte. The police are investigating the fire for damage to property. Sccording to the police spokeswoman, the hut that had caught fire was inhabited by homeless people; luckily, nobody was on site at the time of the fire.