The reason for the construction of a crossing structure in this region was the construction of the Kiel Canal (NOK), which was also owned by the WSV and was completed in 1895. Since the inauguration of the waterway, then known as the "Kaiser Wilhelm Canal", a single-track swing bridge near Taterpfahl has been used to carry rail traffic on the Hamburg Altona - Westerland route.
Shortly after the canal was completed, both the size of ships and the volume of shipping increased significantly. It was primarily for this reason that the decision was made to widen the canal for the first time. The swing bridge, which was designed for the original width of the canal, now represented a bottleneck. In order to make rail and shipping traffic independent of each other during the first widening of the canal, which was carried out from 1907 to 1914, the plans led to the necessary new bridge being built in the form of a high bridge despite considerable additional costs to carry out.
The construction of a high bridge near Taterpfahl was not possible due to the lack of load-bearing capacity of the subsoil. The canal crossing was relocated to a geest ridge about 12 km further east to Hochdonn. After the Rendsburg High Bridge (built 1911 - 1913), the Hochdonner High Bridge (built 1913 -1920) is the second large steel structure that was built on the basis of the design and construction plans carried out by Dr.-Ing. Voß (1872 - 1953). The fact that the bridge can still be used for rail traffic even after a service life of almost 100 years is an impressive confirmation of the high quality of this engineering and craftsmanship achievement.
Source: Kiel Canal Waterways and Shipping Office