Uwe Rohwedder · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped
Hamburg cyclists can now reach Elbpark Entenwerder from HafenCity without the detour onto busy Billhorner Brückenstraße. The 135-meter Entenwerder Bridge opened September 7, 2026, giving walkers and cyclists a direct connection between HafenCity and Rothenburgsort across the mouth of the Oberhafen Canal.
The immediate payoff is a different waterfront route, not another sightseeing ticket: the crossing links the park with the area behind Elbbrücken’s U-Bahn and S-Bahn station. For visitors using our Hamburg things-to-do guide, it creates an eastern extension to a HafenCity day, distinct from the guide’s western harbor sequence toward Landungsbrücken and the Old Elbe Tunnel.
- Opened: September 7, 2026, for pedestrians and cyclists.
- Connection: HafenCity to Rothenburgsort and Elbpark Entenwerder.
- Size: Approximately 135 meters long, with separate walking and cycling space.
- Rail access: A more direct route toward Elbbrücken U-Bahn and S-Bahn station.
- Park routing: Cyclists use the northeastern route; the direct central path remains for walkers.
A Waterfront Link Replaces the Road Detour
Billebogen, the municipal development company behind the project, confirms that the crossing directly connects the two neighborhoods for the first time. It spans the canal mouth where the waterway meets the Elbe, rather than providing a new crossing of the entire river.
That distinction matters when plotting an outing: this is a missing link along the waterfront, not a replacement for a river ferry or a shortcut to every south-bank attraction. Independent reporting by t-online identifies the specific improvement for cyclists, who previously had to divert along heavily trafficked Billhorner Brückenstraße between HafenCity and Rothenburgsort.
Choose the Correct Path Inside Entenwerder
The new connection does not make every park path a cycle route. Billebogen says cyclists should cross the northeastern section of Elbpark Entenwerder and connect at Alexandrastieg with Bike Route 2, while the direct path through the park remains intended for pedestrians.
For a rented-bike outing, that is the useful detail to retain after crossing the bridge: follow the cycling alignment rather than simply taking the shortest-looking line through the greenery. The route connects onward toward Bergedorf, but the bridge announcement does not give a complete leisure-ride distance or a guaranteed journey time for that longer trip.
Elbbrücken Becomes Easier to Reach
The opening also improves access between southern Rothenburgsort and Elbbrücken’s rail station. Travelers staying or spending time on the park side can now approach the station using the new pedestrian and cycling connection, instead of treating the road detour as an unavoidable part of the journey.
This is a change to the walk or ride connecting with public transport, not an announcement of a new train line, a fare reduction, or increased service frequency. Build a rail journey around the current timetable, and treat the bridge as the improved last stretch between the station area and the neighborhood.
The Bridge Is Open, but Nearby Work Is Not Finished
The crossing’s opening and the surrounding landscape program are separate milestones. Billebogen says the path between the new bridge and the existing Alexandrastieg crossing is to be widened to four meters, and that Park Zweibrücken is planned along the Elbbrücken waterfront with approximately 70 new trees.
Those future improvements should not be read as facilities already delivered with the bridge. Likewise, the September 12 neighborhood celebration was a one-day opening event; the lasting news for a subsequent Hamburg visit is the public walking and cycling connection, not an upcoming festival.
Fit the New Crossing Into a HafenCity Day
Our Hamburg guide groups HafenCity and Speicherstadt into a harbor-focused day and advises against squeezing multiple major museums into the same itinerary. The new bridge fits best when the priority is an active waterfront outing toward Entenwerder, rather than adding it automatically after an already full museum visit.
Walkers and riders therefore have different reasons to use the same structure: one gains a park connection and new canal-mouth views, while the other gains a more direct route along the Elbe. Neither needs an invented time saving to make the opening useful; the verified change is that the direct link now exists.
| Your Plan | Use the Opening This Way |
|---|---|
| Cycle east from HafenCity | Use Entenwerder Bridge and the northeastern park alignment toward Bike Route 2. |
| Walk from the station to the park | Use the new connection near Elbbrücken, then the pedestrian park paths. |
| Visit major harbor museums | Choose whether an eastern waterfront extension fits the time left after your booked visit. |
From September 7: The bridge is an open walking and cycling link, not a construction-stage promise.
After September 12: Plan around the permanent connection; the opening celebration has ended.
Where is Hamburg’s new Entenwerder Bridge?
It connects HafenCity and Rothenburgsort across the mouth of the Oberhafen Canal, near Elbbrücken station and Elbpark Entenwerder.
Can cyclists use the direct path through Elbpark?
The official routing sends cyclists through the northeastern section toward Alexandrastieg and Bike Route 2. The direct path through the park remains for pedestrians.
Did the opening add a new U-Bahn station?
No. It improves the walking and cycling connection to the existing Elbbrücken station; the announcement is about the bridge and its connecting paths.
