A controlled demolition of the Ottfingen valley bridge on Germany's A45 motorway failed to fully bring down the structure on Sunday, leaving roughly a third of the span still standing on its pillars. Four of the bridge's twelve supports remained upright after about 160 kilograms of explosives were detonated shortly after 8:00 a.m.
A second blast is scheduled for midday, with a remote-controlled drill being moved in to bore new charge holes into the remaining supports. The motorway between Olpe-Süd and Freudenberg has been closed in both directions since 6:00 a.m., with traffic diverted via the A4 and Hüttentalstraße through Siegen.
The original bridge was prepared over months, with 530 boreholes and 900 metres of detonation cord laid before the blast. Built in 1971, the Ottfingen bridge is one of 60 major structures on the Sauerland line slated for replacement. Cleanup after a successful demolition is expected to take six to eight weeks, with materials recycled.