Overview

• Two maintenance workers became stuck around 16:00 in a suspended gondola beneath the Theodor-Heuss Bridge when its drive system failed.
• Firefighters from Mainz and Wiesbaden mobilized about 20 personnel, deploying rope rescue teams, a fire boat and a turntable ladder.
• Crews used a winch to shift and restart the gondola, allowing it to ascend back to the bridge deck without rope rescue intervention.
• Eastbound lanes toward Wiesbaden were closed during the operation, causing significant rush-hour delays that eased by 17:00.
• The precise cause of the malfunction remains unknown and is now under review by a specialist engineering firm.