The Patrick Schnieder-led Ministry of Transport is facing mounting criticism over the glacial pace of motorway bridge renovations, raising serious concerns about infrastructure safety and the government’s ability to fulfill its commitments. A recent parliamentary inquiry revealed that only approximately 170 bridges, covering a meager 200,000 square meters, are expected to be modernized by year’s end – a fraction of what is required to address the growing backlog.
Preliminary projections for next year indicate a similar rate of progress, falling significantly short of the 2024 output and casting doubt on the ambitious goal of renovating 4,000 bridges within a decade. At the current trajectory, experts estimate it would take 19 years to clear the existing repair deficit, a timeframe deemed unacceptable by opposition voices.
Minister Schnieder’s office attributes the delays to the preceding coalition government’s austerity measures and the subsequent early elections, citing these events as disrupting budgetary planning and project execution. While the Ministry vows to increase the annual renovation rate to 400 bridges by 2030, such promises ring hollow given the alarming current performance.
The precarious state of the infrastructure is underscored by the existing ban on heavy goods vehicle transport across nearly 150 motorway bridges due to substandard construction. Current priorities are skewed towards large-scale projects like the replacement of the Rahmede viaduct, postponing necessary repairs on smaller, yet equally critical, structures.
The situation is particularly perilous for bridges exceeding 30 meters in length that are susceptible to stress corrosion cracking. A disconcerting 185 out of 271 such bridges are deemed to be in such dire condition that replacement may be the only viable solution. The disastrous collapse of the Carola Bridge in Dresden last September serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of inadequate oversight and deferred maintenance.
Adding to the complexity, bridges constructed with stressed steel cables present unique monitoring challenges. The crucial technique of acoustic emission monitoring, designed to detect early signs of structural degradation, is currently applied to only a single bridge, with just three additional monitoring initiatives planned. This insufficient level of surveillance is drawing condemnation from opposition parties, most notably the Green Party. Swantje Michaelsen, the Green Party’s transport policy spokesperson, is demanding a moratorium on all new construction projects until the backlog of structurally deficient bridges is comprehensively addressed, arguing that “all capacities must be concentrated on preservation and renovation”. The lack of urgency is a matter of public safety and demands immediate, decisive action.