A Different Kind of Bridge

In the late 1940s around Limburg.....they built a bridge to cross the Lahn River.  It was renovated at some point in the 1960s, and there's to be a replacement bridge....with this old bridge being torn down.  Well....that was the original plan.

The old bridge got brought up into topics of use, and there's been this ongoing episode in Limburg....over a radical idea.....turning the bridge....into a city center.

You would basically take the existing old bridge, add some support to it, then add several concrete building structures, and create an entire new city suburb out of thin air.....with four-star views of the river and the Dom.

I sat and watched the HR report last night where this was put on full display.  Locals are a bit shocked over the idea and most doubt that it'll come to pass....mostly because it is so radical.

Historically, bridges have a life, and eventually "die".....the safety guys won't swear on their absolute nature and it's simply a better idea tear them down....no matter what the cost is.  This episode raises a number of questions.  The bridge already exists, and no one argues about the taking away of some view.  Nor is there any question of ownership....the city would end up as the prime owner of the property.  Safety?  That might be a curious episode to prove or disprove.

The idea is that this new part of the city would have apartments, shops, and a theater.  People would pay.....mostly for the view of the valley and the river.

There's roughly a year or two before some decision has to be made and a plan forward to tear down the bridge or extend it out into another life.    My humble guess is that a large number of architects would like to see this bold idea go forward....just to prove a point.  Political figures might view it as a radical move that might work elsewhere....if this was successful.  The question is.....do you want a bridge....that isn't really a bridge anymore?