A recently opened section of Berlin’s A100 motorway is facing renewed scrutiny after a traffic expert called for its temporary closure, a suggestion gaining traction within the political opposition Just four days after opening, the new stretch has repeatedly experienced significant congestion, culminating in a brief closure of the A100 on Friday
Andreas Knie, a transportation researcher at the Berlin Science Centre, argues that closing the newly completed 16th construction phase should be seriously considered until the Elsen Bridge, a crucial connecting structure, is fully reopened “Ignoring this issue will not make it disappear” Knie stated, highlighting the ongoing renovations on the bridge at the Treptow interchange
Knie predicts the already strained traffic situation will deteriorate further once the summer holiday period ends, leading to severe congestion and potential further closures He characterizes the opening of the 16th construction phase “before” the Elsen Bridge is operational as a “transportation policy scandal” artificially exacerbating a previously manageable situation and drawing traffic towards a bottleneck
Antje Kapek, transport spokesperson for the Green Party, supports Knie’s call for temporary closure She and other critics have consistently warned that opening the new section prior to the Elsen Bridge’s completion would lead to traffic chaos Kapek revealed that a request for a performance analysis and subsequent traffic management plan was previously rejected The short-term closure experienced on Friday, just two days after the section opened due to overload, emphatically proves, she says, that further motorway expansion within a modern city is counterproductive – a strategy increasingly being reversed through demolition and repurposing in other international metropolises
On Friday, the €720 million motorway section was briefly closed due to a multi-kilometer traffic jam developing within the tunnel between the Sonnenallee and Grenzallee interchanges Authorities stated that any complete standstill within the tunnel itself is unacceptable Police reports indicate the congestion stemmed from high traffic volume compounded by a vehicle breakdown in the hard shoulder The buildup was also attributed partly to traffic signals at the Treptower Park exit, designed to prevent excessive congestion in the adjacent Alt-Treptow district
Congestion continued on the new A100 section on Saturday and insiders fear the situation will worsen significantly after the summer holidays conclude The Federal Highway Authority (Autobahn GmbH), responsible for the construction and operation of the section, has not yet responded to requests for comment The authority has not addressed whether a temporary closure is being considered or what measures, if any, are being implemented to alleviate the immediate traffic issues, according to reports