>>2037558Might have to add, the additional capacity was dearly needed because crossings across the Elebe were really few and of often very low capacity.
There were only ferries west of Hamburg (quite a stretch for the geographically impared). West of this bridge there was the Elbtunnel (only accessible with by elevator, barely fit a Beetle) and the bridges also in that foto, only one of which was not for rail and that one was only for inner-port use due to being parts of the customs-zone. It's been kept in its original state and severs as bicycle path nowadays. The bridge in question remains the only non-Autobahn road-bridge across the Elbe in all of Hamburg. You have to head 10 miles east or use the Autobahn (A1 crossed a bit east since 1939). Other crossings came later.
This bridge literally doubled the road-capacity crossing the Elbe in the entire state.
>>2037601The philosophical difference is largely that in the 1870s working class people in germany were poor as shit while royalties and rich people loved flexing their (and the cities) wealth.
In the 50s, the economic boom was coming from an abyssmal low and life was improving a lot for the lower class people in particular.
This did leave less money than before for pointless vanity-buildings though, and led to a severe increase in traffic, not just from peasants affording a car, but especially trucks, which had become very important for logistics after the war.
Mind you that bridge went through the harbor and on its northern end was and still is the Großmark (the enormous whole-sale place / central market where all small shops, restaurants etc buy). That was a lot of trucks.
Remember, common buildings from back then may have had a pretty facade because that showed the owners wealth, but behind that facade five people lived in one room and each floor was heated by a single stove. They were pretty only when seen from the street.
There was no emperor to impress with this bridge, the people needed it to work.
