A nuisance on the Iron Pier has finally been eliminated: The Iron Pier elevators are now available again on both sides of the river. For people with walking difficulties or parents with prams, this is good news - combined, of course, with the hope that the lifts will now be in operation for longer. For now, however, the prominent bridge in the heart of Frankfurt can once again be accessed without hindrance. The city has comprehensively renewed the elevators and equipped them with modern drive technology.
The company Thoma Aufzüge replaced the controls in both elevator shafts and installed new hydraulic units, doors and control panels on behalf of the executing Office for Road Construction and Development (ASE).
The Iron Footbridge is not only popular with the city's population, but also with many tourists. The lift systems on the north and south sides of the bridge were accordingly frequently used. In the past, the hydraulics in particular had repeatedly caused technical faults and thus breakdowns. In addition - and particularly annoying - there were cases of vandalism which meant that the lifts could not be used. Last autumn, the ASE was forced to shut down the lifts so that a comprehensive refurbishment could be undertaken.
This has now been completed, apart from some minor remaining work. In addition, a basic cleaning of the elevator shafts is still pending. However, the work will hardly affect the use of the elevators in day-to-day business. "For us, the priority was to be able to make the lifts available to the public again as quickly as possible in order to enable barrier-free access to the Iron Bridge. We are now making up for the cosmetic corrections," said Michaela Kraft, head of the ASE.
