What if I told you this bridge has lived not one life but two? I am talking about the Unionbrücke. This is no ordinary Autobahnbrücke. The Unionbrücke has a story etched in steel and concrete. It spans the Meißner Straße. It also crosses the industrial area and railway tracks near Radebeul Ost station.
Originally called Überschneidungsbrücke. That was a mouthful. But during construction it became the Unionbrücke. Why? Parts of the Union-Werke factory had to be transferred and demolished for its construction. So the name stuck. The first Unionbrücke was built from 1935 to 1937. It was part of the Reichsautobahn route 73 from Dresden to Görlitz. This four-lane structure was a vital link. It crossed railway lines and Radebeul’s industrial zone. To make way the Union-Werke gave up land and some buildings were torn down.
During World War II the Unionbrücke survived largely unharmed. The Red Army used it. Later it carried traffic in the Soviet occupation zone. But time took its toll. By DDR times the road surface needed serious repair. Patches covered many flaws. Yet the supporting structure remained sound. In 1967 and 1968 they fixed it up. Workers replaced the road surface and expansion joints. They even added walkways for inspection.
The bridge saw heavy use. In 1968 Warsaw Pact tanks crossed it. This damaged the expansion joints during the Prague Spring events. By 1970 speed limits became necessary due to road damage. Finally in 1983 repairs began. But only one side was fully repaired initially. After reunification more work was done. Yet problems persisted.
Then came a big change. As part of German Unification Project No 15 the Unionbrücke needed expanding. From 1997 to 2000 it was rebuilt. The old bridge was mostly torn down. A new wider Unionbrücke was constructed in its place. The new Unionbrücke could handle six lanes. The strip of the old bridge now carries A4 traffic heading west. The eastbound lanes were built alongside.
Even now the bridge’s axes are counted in the original direction toward Görlitz. This is opposite to the A4’s current kilometer markers. Before reconstruction a building had to go. The old Union-Werke factory which had become a school was torn down to make space. Also some commercial buildings near the Autobahn had to be removed. When finished in 2000 the old bridge’s sandstone crests of Radebeul and Dresden were added to the new structure. They used red Finnish granite.
Today the Unionbrücke stands strong. It has eight openings and is 253.7 meters long. The maximum span is 35 meters. It is a steel and reinforced concrete composite bridge. The bridge is slightly curved with a radius of 2500 meters. The two main beams are airtight steel boxes. Red Finnish granite covers the supports. The Unionbrücke forms part of a “bridge family” with other Elbe crossings. It is a Best-Practice-Example of traffic buildings. Next time you cross this bridge remember its two lives and the changes it has seen.