Indeed, the Kennedybrücke stands before us, a vital artery connecting Bremerhaven. Its story is one of resilience and remembrance.
This combined hydraulic structure features a storm surge barrier. It also has a bascule bridge. The barrier protects the city from flooding. The bridge carries a six-lane road.
Let’s step back in time to the 1950s. Massive storm surges in the Netherlands raised concerns. The Weser River experienced increasingly high storm tides. In response, construction began on the storm surge barrier in March 1958.
After three years of construction, it was inaugurated on September 27, 1961. The barrier stands about 650 meters from where the Geeste River flows into the Weser.
The Geeste can be blocked against storm surges by two pairs of hinged gates. They stand one behind the other. The gates extend from 6 meters below sea level to 7.5 meters above sea level. When closed, they prevent flooding. This protects large parts of the city and the Geeste lowlands.
The gates are usually closed when water levels are expected to be 1 meter above mean high water. The barrier provides a 24-meter-wide passage for ships. This width was needed for shipbuilders. They were further upstream. It allowed them to move their new ships to the Weser.
Just five months after its inauguration, the barrier prevented disaster. The catastrophic North Sea flood of 1962 struck. On the evening of February 16, a storm raged with Beaufort force 10. The water level reached 5.85 meters above sea level. Without the dikes and the barrier, 80% of the city would have flooded. Bürgermeister-Smidt-Straße would have been 2.85 meters under water.
Due to climate change, a new barrier is planned. The dikes have already been raised to 8.4 meters. This accounts for rising water levels. Raising the current barrier to this height isn’t possible. The new structure will shorten the dike line. It will be built closer to the Geeste estuary. The planned location is between the Weser ferry and the Weser terraces. Construction should be complete by 2033.
The bascule bridge was built in 1960 and 1961. It wasn’t opened to traffic until April 11, 1963. The bridge crosses the Geeste River. It also spans An der Geeste Street. That road runs along the southeast bank.
After the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, the bridge was renamed. On January 30, 1964, it became the Kennedybrücke.
The Kennedybrücke is a single-leaf bascule bridge. It can be opened electro-mechanically up to Beaufort force 9. The counterweights are in a bridge basement. This is below street level. The bridge flap is 29.3 meters long and 28.4 meters wide. It has six lanes and sidewalks on both sides. It is mounted on the southern bridge pier. A control station for the bridge and barrier is also located here.
The Alte Geestebrücke from 1904 is about 230 meters upstream. The Kennedybrücke relieved traffic congestion. It helped the Old Geeste Bridge and the city center. Traffic from Elbinger Platz used the Kennedybrücke. It initially flowed into the two-lane Am Alten Hafen road. In 1967, Columbusstrasse opened. It had an adequate cross-section on the filled-in part of the Old Harbor. This allowed Bürgermeister-Smidt-Straße to become a pedestrian zone. That conversion occurred in the late 1970s. Bus lines 440, 508, 509, HL, and S cross the Kennedybrücke.
The Kennedybrücke stands as a testament to Bremerhaven’s history. It stands as a symbol of protection. It also stands as a tribute to a fallen leader. It continues to serve the city. It connects its people and safeguards their future.