The Köhlbrand Bridge (German: Köhlbrandbrücke) is a cable-stayed bridge in Hamburg, Germany, which connects the harbor area on the island of Wilhelmsburg between the Norderelbe and Süderelbe anabranches of the Elbe river with motorway 7 (exit Waltershof). It bridges the Süderelbe, here called Köhlbrand, before it unites with the Norderelbe again. The bridge was opened on 9 September 1974.

History

The bridge was designed by Hans Wittfoht and Egon Jux. It took 4 years to build and was named after the tributary to the Elbe river it spans, the Köhlbrand.

Since its opening the bridge has only twice been open to pedestrians, on the opening day 1974 and on its 30th birthday in 2004. The magnificent view over the city of Hamburg is however not completely limited to the drivers of cars and trucks. The bridge is on the route of Hamburg's yearly UCI World Tour bicycle race Vattenfall Cyclassics. Quite a number of the amateurs participating in this race make a stop on top of the Köhlbrand Bridge.

Several people have committed suicide by jumping from the Köhlbrand Bridge.

The bridge was a location in the 1987 German thriller Lethal Obsession, starring Peter Maffay and Michael York. A fictionalized version was also featured in the 2011 video game Modern Warfare 3, during the mission "Goalpost".

Technical data

The bridge is made from about 81,000 cubic metres (106,000 cu yd) of concrete and 12,700 tonnes (12,500 long tons; 14,000 short tons) of steel. Each day, about 30,000 cars pass over the bridge. Its total cost amounted 160 million DM.

The bridge is made of 80 locked coil stay-cables, each ranging from diameter of 58 millimetres (2 in) to 110 millimetres (4 in) in diameter. It is 520 metres (1,706 ft) long, the center piece 325 m (1,066 ft). It is carried by 2 steel pylons (the highest one of height 135 m (443 ft)). It has an under-clearance of 53 metres (174 ft). The road has an inclination of 4%.