Traffic Opening of Rahmede Viaduct

On 22 December 2025, the new Rahmede viaduct, part of motorway A45, has officially been opened for traffic. It replaces the old bridge, which had been demolished by controlled explosion in May 2023, and henceforth closes a central gap on one of Germany’s most important transport axes – and in remarkably short construction time.

Rahmede viaduct is a reinforced concrete composite structure with two separated superstructures. With a total length of 453 metres, the longest span width amounting to 107.5 metres and a height of up to 70 metres, it is one of the most technologically challenging bridge projects in the region. Each superstructure is built by incremental launching and pushed over the piles, which were concreted step by step using a climbing formwork. The pile dimensions are 3.80 x 8.45 metres; the deep foundations are implemented as bored piles in the rock with a diameter of 1.50 m.

Luckily, on 22 December, the first half of the bridge could be opened for traffic earlier than planned. The second bridge half is also already at an advanced stage.

SSF Ingenieure, in a joint venture with Eberhardt Ingenieure and Schüssler Plan, was contracted for construction management and supervision as well as production monitoring by Autobahn GmbH des Bundes

On 22 December at 10.45am the opening ceremony of the first bridge half took place. Amongst the guests were German chancellor Friedrich Merz, federal transportation minister Patrick Schnieder and state premier of North-Rhine Westphalia Hendrik Wüst.