Elbebrücke Geesthacht, Girder road bridge in Geesthacht, Germany

The Elbebrücke Geesthacht is a girder road bridge crossing the Elbe on the weir near Geesthacht. It comprises a 175-metre bridge over the lock canal, a roughly 550-metre dam section and the 409.5-metre weir bridge over the river, with a 237-metre foreland bridge on the Lower Saxony side. The weir bridge has a steel superstructure with eight openings and a 16.2-metre orthotropic deck.

The structure was built following the devastating 1962 flood, when an additional river crossing became urgently needed. It created a direct link between Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein and has eased traffic in the region ever since.

The bridge connects two northern German states and has become essential infrastructure for daily traffic between regions. It shapes how people move across the river and supports the communities on both sides in their economic and social exchanges.

The bridge sits along Federal Road 404 and provides continuous crossing of the Elbe with a regularly maintained surface. Pedestrians and cyclists should use the designated paths, as traffic can be heavy on this main route.

The weir bridge over the Elbe has eight steel openings with spans of 50.0 m, 4 × 55.0 m, 52.5 m, 50.0 m and 37.5 m, a 2.05 m deep main girder and a 16.2 m wide orthotropic deck. The lock canal bridge is prestressed concrete with six openings and two hollow boxes 7.5 m apart.