The Moselle

Bridges and clearances

For most leisure boats the Moselle is uncritical: at least 6 m is kept clear along the whole route above the highest navigable water level. It only becomes critical for sailing boats with the mast up and for houseboats with a high superstructure during floods.

Important: the clearance shrinks as the water rises

Stated clearances generally refer to the highest navigable water level. If the gauge rises above that, navigation is suspended anyway. At mean water you have considerably more headroom, on a falling flood considerably less. Before setting off, the current gauge reading and the notices to skippers are compulsory reading — not this table.

To the water levels

Bridges over the Moselle with air draughts
km	Bridge	Location	Type	Clearance
241.96	Moselle bridge Schengen – Perl	Schengen	road bridge	6.63 m above HSW
241.10	Schengen Viaduct	Schengen	motorway bridge	23.70 m above HSW *
233.43	Moselle bridge Remich – Nennig	Remich	road bridge	6.70 m above HSW *
229.86	Bridge over the Stadtbredimus – Palzem barrage	Stadtbredimus	bridge over weir and lock	no passage
222.15	Moselle bridge Wormeldange – Wincheringen	Wormeldange	road bridge	7.58 m above HSW
212.33	Moselle bridge Grevenmacher – Wellen	Grevenmacher	road bridge	8.39 m above HSW
200.34	Konz railway bridge	Konz	railway bridge	6.71 m above HSW *
194.56	Konrad Adenauer Bridge, Trier	Trier	road bridge	8.00 m above HSW *
193.15	Roman Bridge, Trier	Trier	road bridge	6.00 m above HSW *
191.69	Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge, Trier	Trier	road bridge	7.50 m above HSW *
187.56	Trier-Pfalzel railway bridge	Trier	railway bridge	6.00 m above HSW *
183.87	Ehrang Moselle bridge	Trier	motorway bridge	7.77 m above HSW *
178.10	Schweich Moselle bridge	Schweich	road bridge	—

* Figure from a single source — unconfirmed.

The list covers the stretch from Schengen to Trier-Ehrang — that is where the bridges are for which we have dependable figures. Further downstream towards Koblenz a good many more structures follow. Spotted an error? Let us know — we will correct it promptly.

km 241.96Bridge

Moselle bridge Schengen – Perl

Schengen · LU/DE

Border bridge at the tripoint, just below Apach lock.

Air draught: 6.63 m above HSW
Type: road bridge

On the map Position

km 241.10Bridge

Schengen Viaduct

Schengen · LU/DE

High motorway crossing of the A13/A8 between Schengen and Perl, some eight kilometres below Apach lock. No obstacle for pleasure craft.

Air draught: 23.70 m above HSW *
Type: motorway bridge

On the map Position

km 233.43Bridge

Moselle bridge Remich – Nennig

Remich · LU/DE

Border bridge immediately above the Remich landing stages.

Air draught: 6.70 m above HSW *
Type: road bridge

On the map Position

km 229.86Bridge

Bridge over the Stadtbredimus – Palzem barrage

Stadtbredimus · LU/DE

Road link across weir and lock. Passage is only through the lock chambers.

Air draught: no passage
Type: bridge over weir and lock
Note: weir opening not navigable

On the map Positionunverified

km 222.15Bridge

Moselle bridge Wormeldange – Wincheringen

Wormeldange · LU/DE

Border bridge in the riesling country.

Air draught: 7.58 m above HSW
Type: road bridge

On the map Position

km 212.33Bridge

Moselle bridge Grevenmacher – Wellen

Grevenmacher · LU/DE

Border bridge at the Grevenmacher barrage.

Air draught: 8.39 m above HSW
Type: road bridge

On the map Position

km 200.34Bridge

Konz railway bridge

Konz · DE

Railway bridge on the Trier–Wasserbillig line, with a footway and cycle track. The first fixed crossing above Trier lock.

Air draught: 6.71 m above HSW *
Type: railway bridge

On the map Position

km 194.56Bridge

Konrad Adenauer Bridge, Trier

Trier · DE

Trier’s southern city bridge, barely a kilometre below Trier lock.

Air draught: 8.00 m above HSW *
Type: road bridge

On the map Position

km 193.15Bridge

Roman Bridge, Trier

Trier · DE

Germany’s oldest bridge still carrying traffic — Roman piers from the 2nd century, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also the lowest passage on the river: the figure sits…

Air draught: 6.00 m above HSW *
Type: road bridge

On the map Position

km 191.69Bridge

Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge, Trier

Trier · DE

Trier’s northern city bridge, between Trier-Nord and Trier-West.

Air draught: 7.50 m above HSW *
Type: road bridge

On the map Position

km 187.56Bridge

Trier-Pfalzel railway bridge

Trier · DE

Railway bridge of 1878, with a footway and cycle track. The second place on the river where only the waterway minimum is clear.

Air draught: 6.00 m above HSW *
Type: railway bridge

On the map Position

km 183.87Bridge

Ehrang Moselle bridge

Trier · DE

Motorway crossing of the A64a at the northern edge of Trier, just above the mouth of the Kyll.

Air draught: 7.77 m above HSW *
Type: motorway bridge

On the map Position

km 178.10Bridge

Schweich Moselle bridge

Schweich · DE

Road bridge carrying the L 141 between Schweich and Longuich-Kirsch, reopened in 1948 after the 1906 structure was blown up. The arches are narrow and the bridge stands in a bend…

Type: road bridge
Structure: L 141
Year built: 1948

On the map Position

What sailors should know

The Moselle is motorboat country. With the mast up you will practically not get through — the fixed clearance of about six metres leaves no room. Sailing yachts are de-rigged for the passage; there are craning points along the route, notably in the larger harbours. If you only want to lower the mast, agree it with the harbour beforehand and allow generous passage time: with thirteen locks the run from Koblenz to Schengen takes several days.

The narrowest point

The bridges are not the real challenge — Bremm loop, Moselle km 75.4 is, with a curve radius of about 350 m. Sight lines are short there and meeting a large vessel is unpleasant. Listen out on the radio early and keep to starboard.