Crossing the tracks on the Lichtenberger Brücke you might not realize its complex history. This eight-lane road bridge spans a large railway area near Lichtenberg station. It carries the B1 and B5 federal highways.
Around 50.000 vehicles use the Lichtenberger Brücke daily. The north part stretches 137 meters. The south part extends 143 meters. The bridge measures 42 meters in width. It includes two 4.7-meter-wide sidewalks.
Back in 1870, an iron truss bridge was needed here. This was to avoid traffic jams with the growing railway. The Prussian Eastern Railway and Lichtenberg marshalling yard made a crossing essential.
The original bridge featured iron arch segments. Thousands of rivets held them together. It was about 50 meters long and 15.80 meters wide. The road surface was paved with large cobblestones.
The main road 1 crossed this early Lichtenberger Brücke. Later, tram line 69 and bus line 30 also used it. The bridge had two car lanes in each direction. It also had one tram track per direction.
In 1913, the sidewalk was widened. Around 1930, a major reconstruction took place. Steel girders and brickwork extended the bridge on both sides.
The Lichtenberg station was accessible in different ways. One way was from Wenddorf or Weitlingstraße. This was through a tunnel-like area from the U-Bahn entrance. Another way was via a separate entrance at the bridge’s end. It was opposite Skandinavische Straße.
The old station building stood at the bridge’s start. It was on the south side of Frankfurter Allee. This building had a neo-Gothic brick style. Dark red brick buildings housed railway workers near the U-Bahn entrance. These buildings disappeared when the old bridge was torn down. This happened with the construction of Skandinavische Straße.
On the north side, Skandinavische Straße met Frankfurter Allee directly at the bridge. Here, some small shops existed. One shop displayed fresh fish in a large glass tank. There was also a photography studio called “Foto-Fischer.” The old residential buildings still stand. However, they appear lowered compared to the new street level. A large mural by Manuel García Moia adorns a building.
On the bridge’s north side, there was a kiosk called “Eis-Wibo” that sold ice cream in the summer. The growing traffic made the old iron bridge a bottleneck. From 1972 to 1976, they built a new, larger bridge. The southern part opened in 1975. The northern half finished in 1977. The old iron bridge was then removed.
The new Lichtenberger Brücke rests on the U-Bahn tunnel. The tunnel was reinforced to handle the load. Today, each direction has four lanes and a wide sidewalk. The bridge’s design includes steel and concrete with hollow boxes.
After reunification, the bridge needed repairs. It could not handle the increased traffic. The repairs took place in 2001 and 2002.
So next time you cross the Lichtenberger Brücke remember its layered past. From iron trusses to modern steel and concrete it connects more than just roads. It connects eras.