Peter Lerch is relieved: The 30 centimetre thick covering that covered the bridge deck has been removed, 180 tonnes of material have been removed, and the more than 100-year-old bridge over the Emme is no longer in danger of collapsing under its own weight. For the Lauperswil municipal council, this is a great relief, as the “Berner Zeitung” reports.
The surface was the real problem – it was so thick that its weight exceeded the load-bearing capacity and made the entire bridge unstable. It has since been determined that such a layer of gravel and asphalt would not be necessary for the bridge.
Closure last November
The Neumühle Bridge leads from the village of Lauperswil on the left bank of the Emme to Zollbrück on the right bank of the Emme and is an important connection, especially for slow traffic. It is also accessible to cars in one lane. After it became known that the listed bridge was not stable enough, it was closed to cars in spring 2023 and completely in November 2023.
Because many people still didn’t want to give up the shortcut, the local council ordered an insurmountable wooden wall to be erected. For months now, many people have had to take a long detour to get to the other side of the Emme.
Because the democratic processes had to be followed, it took a while until the project could be implemented and the bridge repaired. At the end of June, the Lauperswil municipal assembly approved a loan of 1.2 million francs. The monument preservation authorities are contributing almost 200,000 francs.
Will the weather cooperate?
The aim is to reopen the bridge soon – but this will require a new, lighter decking. And the walls also need to be patched up. A canal was also discovered that was not shown anywhere in the plans. In general, however, the condition of the bridge is better than feared.
The work can only be carried out as long as the temperatures do not fall below 5 degrees. However, if the autumn remains reasonably warm, nothing should stand in the way of the Neumühle Bridge being reopened soon.
