A 310-meter-long bridge carrying one of Germany’s autobahns in the Hesse region was blown up in spectacular fashion on Saturday.

The bridge was loaded with more than 220 kilograms of explosives, and around 140 residents had to be evacuated from within a 250-meter blast range of the demolition site.

Before the planned destruction, the Salzbachtal overpass in Wiesbaden, part of Germany’s Autobahn 66, had carried around 90,000 vehicles every day. 

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However, it was closed in June 2020 due to safety concerns after a failing roller bearing caused the southern part of the bridge to sag and concrete to fall from the structure. 

Over several months of preparation, railway tracks were removed from the area surrounding the bridge, while nearby 750 holes were searched for undetonated World War II bombs.

Before a replacement is built, workers will first have to clean up the approximately 15,000 tonnes of material left over from the demolition.

While the southern section of the structure is ready, the bridge will not be open in its entirety until 2023, with overall completion expected by 2026.

Video editor: Steve Chappell