The lower section of the small river Levensau was extended between 1777 and 1784 to become part of the Eider Canal.

The extended canal necessitated a fixed link for the Kiel–Flensburg railway as well as the principal road from Kiel to Eckernförde.

[1] Originally the carriageway was designed in such a way that it could not be used by road and rail traffic simultaneously - if a train approached, the bridge was closed for cars and lorries.

However, in addition to taking the geological condition of the subsoil into consideration the project also has to respect environmental aspects (for instance the presence of bats).

The population was examined by scientists of the Kiel University and is considered the largest in Northern Europe.

[4] Contemporary picturesThe Levensau Motorway Bridge, built in 1984, can be seen on some of the newer pictures