By Jove, they’ve found it! German authorities close Autobahn, detonate WWII-era bomb

By Nick Jaynes August 21, 2014

jove theyve found german authorities close autobahn detonating wwii era bomb ww2 653 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Talk about having a blast at work.

German authorities closed a large section of the A3 Autobahn outside Frankfurt this week, after work crews unearthed a 70-year-old British bomb from World War II.

Experts tried to diffuse the 1,100-pound bomb by way of a chemical process but failed. After plans to dismantle and relocate the bomb were deemed too dangerous, the German government did the only logical thing: blow it up. Cue Rammstein.

Related: 2015 Audi S3 first drive

The detonation left a crater 75 feet wide and eight feet deep, according to German news outlet Der Spiegel. Not sure how large the blast might be, over 160 nearby residents were evacuated before detonation. A section of the Frankfurt airport was also closed, delaying 22 flights.

The resulting road closure caused a 7.5-mile long traffic jam. How long it will take crews to repair and re-open the section of Autobahn is not yet known.

Amazingly, this sort of explosive discovery isn’t all that uncommon, as Frankfurt was virtually leveled during the war. In fact, between 40 and 60 WWII-era explosives are unearthed each year.

(Photo credit: Der Spiegel)

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Nick Jaynes is the Automotive Editor for Digital Trends. He developed a passion for writing about cars working his way…

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