Checking back through old posts, it would seem like the last update on Bavaria’s Slowest Construction Project® was over a year ago: Bridge Work Still in Progress. But maybe this story is coming to a close, after more than 8 years — four years longer than originally planned. 1
For the first time in a while, we took a stroll back to the old neighborhood for the Maidult festival running there for a few days yet. You can count on the Dult, in May or in the Fall, to provide plenty of good people watching. It’s like an American amusement park in that regard — it takes all kinds and all kinds do show up for the beer tents, rickety rides, carnival games, and odd specialty goods for sale.
We were there with some of my work peeps whom I don’t see much anymore.
You can see that the middle of the bridge is still covered up in a tenty, shed-like thing. We haven’t heard any news about progress, or the lack thereof. Have you?
Then again, maybe it doesn’t matter much, especially if you’re one of the people enjoying a warm evening with friends on the bank.
Dang. Not yet a quarter into it, and this year is flying by already. After our inconvenient-but-still-lovely Mallorcan long weekend last year, we returned to Regensburg to get to work on our new digs. We’ve learned a lot about wiring and installing ceiling lamps, and options for furniture, and some life lessons about paint contractors.1
We’ve been busy, like everyone, of course. We’ve been concentrating on the resolution of a small real estate drama, and trying to squeeze progress in that area around not one, not two, but three vacations planned out in advance. But that’s all coming to an end REALLY SOON. Continue reading Bridge Update, Sep…um…October 2016
It struck me as a little ironic that the literal bridge from Regensburg to the rest of Bavaria1 is being repaired, whereas some protesters want to bolster a figurative bridge to Regensburg — and Germany in general — from other countries. Continue reading Bridge Update July 2016: literal and figurative
Is it really February? It feels more like April, or maybe even March.
A few (more large) pieces of the auxiliary bridge disappeared recently overnight, revealing even more of a “bridge to nowhere” scene. Sure would be nice to get some more progress in place here. As it stands now, it seems like the biggest part of the project — the middle — is going to be in progress right when the weather warms up and all those Bavarian holidays kick in, with tourists from all over Germany (and the rest of the world, really) swarming the bridge and clogging the already-narrowed auxiliary sections.
Widened gap between auxiliary bridge sections:
Mucky bank at Trattoria Marina due to dropping water levels:
Note the outdoor lunchers soaking up every bit of sunlight they can. Sure can’t blame them for missing the sun. Who knows when it’ll return?
Green-but-swampy bank and lonely auxiliary bridge tower:
Our last post was about Fall Splendor. There was not a lot to report on in November or December. The usual Christmas Market stuff came and went — much the same as always. One nice change: my team members from Romania came to visit in Regensburg and they got a taste of the Christmas markets for once. In the past, we’ve had end-of-the-year workshops in November, before there is any reason at all to spend time together outside of the office. At least with the Christmas markets, there is Glühwein and fair food, and the hope for snowy conditions.
In bridge news, this past week the north end of the bridge was closed overnight one night while some huge trucks lined up on our island to remove some no-longer-needed pieces of the auxiliary bridge. Today I went out to see the differences…
view of the north bankview towards the Jahninsel and south bank
…and could not ascertain any at all. It’s unclear whether the trucks cleared out bridge detritus that had always been invisible, or maybe something went schief and the event had to be scrapped. Either way: no visible progress since there were leaves on the trees.
But in the meantime, what with Easter’s early arrival this year, Fasching preparations are underway. Coming up: watch out for mustard in your Krapfen and remember to wear an ugly tie1 the crazy ladies at work can snip up on Weiberfasching.2 Maybe snap up one of these masks to protect your identity if you plan on getting kooky.
Spring is here, officially, and surprise! It’s still dang cold out there! The clear skies and bright sunny days are just a clever ruse. 1 I took a few pictures of the bridge and surroundings when the weather permitted it. Continue reading Bridge Report, Easter 2015
It even snowed today briefly in the bright sun behind a threatening rain cloud. [↩]
Hoo, look at that, it’s been a whole month since the last post!
Lots of work stuff has been keeping me busy, and Sarah’s music ensemble has come out of their summer hibernation and are warming up again for the winter concert.
Sometime around the end of August on the city-side of the bridge (that’s the south bank of the Danube) we could see what looked to be coarse tarmac waiting for a new surface, and a couple of cable ports poking through the side wall pieces.
Earlier this week we saw the same pavers as on the Stadtamhof side of the bridge.
You’d think this would signal that the end of the project is near, but there’s still about the middle one-third of the bridge which hasn’t had any work done on it at all (barring the removal of the Bruckmandl for off-site restoration), and the project timeline is calls for activity until 2017.
They put those giant supports all along the length of the bridge for a reason: I guess the strategy was to work on the ends of the bridge first and then the middle section last.
