The Lindaunis Bridge (German: Lindaunisbrücke) is a combined road and railway bridge spanning the Schlei inlet in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located near the village of Lindaunis, connecting the Schwansen peninsula with the Angeln region. The bridge is a vital infrastructure link, carrying both a single-track railway line (the Kiel–Flensburg line) and a local road (Landesstraße L289).
Design and Operation
Historically, the Lindaunis Bridge has been a movable bridge designed to allow ship traffic to pass through the Schlei, a narrow sea inlet connecting to the Baltic Sea. The current structure, which replaced an earlier bridge, was constructed in 1927 and operated as a steel swing bridge. It features a movable section that pivots horizontally to open a navigation channel for boats. The bridge opens regularly throughout the day, following a fixed schedule, to accommodate water traffic, which causes temporary closures for road and rail users.
History
The first bridge at Lindaunis was built in 1881 as part of the railway line connecting Kiel and Flensburg. This initial structure was a fixed bridge with a separate, smaller swing bridge for water traffic. Due to increased traffic demands and the need for a more robust structure, it was replaced by the current swing bridge in 1927. The 1927 bridge has served for nearly a century, becoming one of Germany's oldest continuously operating movable railway bridges. Its operation requires manual intervention for opening and closing, and its age has increasingly posed challenges for maintenance and reliability.
Significance and Modernization
The Lindaunis Bridge is a critical bottleneck for regional transport. Its age and the operational constraints of a movable bridge mean that both road and rail traffic experience frequent delays. The limited capacity of the single-track railway and the narrow road further contribute to congestion.
To address these issues and improve connectivity, a comprehensive modernization project is underway. A completely new, larger, and more modern bascule bridge (a type of drawbridge) is being constructed directly adjacent to the existing structure. The new bridge is designed to offer a wider navigation channel for ships and improved passage for both road and rail traffic. It will feature two railway tracks and a separate lane for road vehicles, significantly enhancing capacity and operational efficiency. The old Lindaunis Bridge is slated for dismantling once the new bridge becomes fully operational, marking the end of an era for this historic movable structure.