Transport system · Structures

Bridges

Most motorway bridges in Germany were built for the traffic of the 1960s and 1970s. Today they carry far heavier lorries far more often. This sheet explains what the modernisation programme is, how the responsibilities are split, and where the documented record of Federal Minister Steffen Bilger begins.

~28,000Bridge sections (Teilbauwerke) on the Autobahn networkSource: Die Autobahn GmbH

~55%Of bridge structures built before 1985Source: Die Autobahn GmbH

~4,000Structures to modernise on the ~7,000 km priority networkSource: Die Autobahn GmbH; target 2030

69 / 280Sections completed vs planned in 2024, per the Federal Audit OfficeSource: Bundestag hib, 22 May 2025

Drawing

Anatomy of a 1970s motorway bridge

A typical prestressed-concrete beam bridge of the kind that dominates the older stock. The lettered parts are explained alongside. The drawing is schematic, not a specific structure.

A: Deck. The concrete superstructure carrying the carriageway. Water and de-icing salt seeping through damaged waterproofing attack the reinforcement.
B: Prestressing tendons. Steel cables tensioned inside the concrete. Some older prestressing steels are prone to stress-corrosion cracking, which can come with little visible warning.
C: Bearings. Allow the deck to move with temperature. Worn bearings are a common reason for repairs.
D: Piers. Carry the load to the ground. On valley bridges they can be very tall.
E: Abutments. Where the bridge meets the embankment at each end.
F: Foundations. Spread footings or piles below ground level.

Technical data: the Autobahn bridge stock

Bridge sections, Autobahn: About 28,000 Teilbauwerke. A bridge with two separate carriageways usually counts as two sections.
All federal trunk roads: About 40,000 bridges
Built before 1985: About 55% of structures
Typical service life: About 70 years, according to the Autobahn GmbH
Condition grades: 1.0–1.4 very good · 1.5–1.9 good · 2.0–2.4 satisfactory · 2.5–2.9 adequate · 3.0–3.4 inadequate · 3.5–4.0 poor
Main stressors: Growth in heavy-goods traffic and vehicle weights beyond original design loads, material fatigue, water and road-salt corrosion

Section A — the programme

The modernisation programme and its pace

After a 2022 "bridge summit", the federal government and the Autobahn GmbH set out to modernise the most heavily used part of the network first. The Autobahn GmbH describes the target as about 4,000 bridge structures on roughly 7,000 kilometres of busy transit routes by 2030.

Progress has been slower than planned. In May 2025 the Bundestag's press service reported on an assessment by the Bundesrechnungshof (Federal Audit Office). The auditors counted around 8,100 Autobahn bridge sections and around 3,000 federal-road sections in need of modernisation as of March 2022. They said the programme would need "more than 450" sections a year to meet its deadline. Over the previous three years only about 40% of planned modernisations had been completed. In 2024, 69 sections were finished against 280 planned.

The auditors also criticised how progress was reported. A ministry progress report of September 2024 had, in their view, counted all completed sections rather than only those meeting the programme's criteria, making results "appear too positive". The ministry's own counting differs from the auditors'. The figures above are the audit office's assessment as reported by the Bundestag, not an agreed balance.

Different countsThe numbers in circulation use different units and scopes: structures or sections, Autobahn only or all federal trunk roads, a 2030 or a 2032 horizon. They should not be compared directly. Later progress figures for 2025 and 2026 seen during research could not be verified against a primary source and are not shown here.

Funding for this work now comes mainly from the infrastructure special fund and the Autobahn GmbH's budget. The new financing structure approved by cabinet on 7 October 2026 is meant to give the company multi-year planning security (see road infrastructure and infrastructure investment).

Ledger

Audit office: 2024 output
Item	Sections
Planned 2024	280
Completed 2024	69
Required per year	450+

Source: Bundesrechnungshof, via Bundestag hib, 22 May 2025

Who answers for which bridge

Federal, state, municipal

A bridge's owner is the owner of the road it carries. That matters when a bridge fails, because the Federal Minister for Transport is only directly responsible for some of them.

Federal · Autobahn

Autobahn GmbH

Motorway bridges are planned, inspected and replaced by the federal motorway company, supervised by the Fernstraßen-Bundesamt and the BMV. Examples: Rahmede (A 45), Bonn Nordbrücke (A 565), Rader Hochbrücke (A 7).

Federal · Bundesstraße

Länder on behalf of the Bund

Bridges on federal roads are financed by the federal government but generally planned and built by state road authorities. Example: the second Rhine bridge on the B 293.

State and municipal

Länder, districts, towns

Bridges on state roads and city streets belong to those authorities. Example: the Carolabrücke in Dresden, a city bridge. Federal programmes can help with funding but do not transfer responsibility.

Section B — case files

Five bridges, five situations

A 45 · Lüdenscheid

Rahmede valley bridge

The closure of this Sauerland valley bridge in December 2021 became a national symbol of the backlog. It cut the A 45 between the Ruhr and Frankfurt and sent traffic through Lüdenscheid. The old structure was blown up in May 2023. The first half of the replacement opened on 22 December 2025 in the presence of Chancellor Merz, then minister Patrick Schnieder and North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister-President Hendrik Wüst. The second half is due by the end of 2026. The contract is worth about €170 million.

Bilger record No involvement since July 2026 found in the sources.

A 565 · Bonn

Bonn Nordbrücke

The Rhine crossing carried around 90,000 to 100,000 vehicles a day. Lorries over 7.5 tonnes were banned from early February 2026 because of cracks, corrosion and problems with the prestressing tendons. The bridge was fully closed in early June 2026, and demolition of the roughly 660-metre left-bank approach began on 15 July. Then minister Schnieder warned: Das kann uns immer wieder passieren ("This can keep happening to us", translation).

Bilger record Inherited on taking office; no specific Bilger statement found.

Municipal · Dresden

Carolabrücke

Part of this Elbe bridge collapsed in September 2024. It is a city bridge owned by Dresden, not a federal structure, but it shaped the national debate about bridge safety. Demolition was completed in September 2025. On 3 September 2026 the city council chose the design "CAROLA 3.0" by 39 votes to 31, and the city plans to begin construction in 2028.

Bilger record Outside federal responsibility; no Bilger statement found.

A 7 · Kiel Canal

Rader Hochbrücke

The high bridge carries the A 7 over the Kiel Canal near Rendsburg. It is being replaced by a new six-lane crossing; construction began officially in April 2023. The first, eastern partial bridge is due to be completed by the end of 2026, with the second to follow.

Bilger record Visited during his summer tour in August 2026, according to the Stuttgarter Zeitung.

B 293 · Wörth–Karlsruhe

Second Rhine bridge

A new Rhine bridge between Wörth (Rhineland-Palatinate) and Karlsruhe (Baden-Württemberg), with footpaths and cycle paths, to relieve the existing crossing. The original 2017 plan approvals were challenged in court. On 15 September 2026 the BMV approved revised planning documents, so both Länder can now apply for supplementary approval. The ministry puts the whole project at about €475 million, of which €149 million is for the bridge. It is classed as "urgent need" (Vordringlicher Bedarf) in federal planning.

Dies ist ein wichtiger Schritt zum Neubau der B 293, auf den die Region dringend wartet.

“This is an important step towards the new B 293, which the region is urgently waiting for.” (translation)
Steffen Bilger, BMV press release 086/2026, 15 September 2026

Section C — significance

What the record shows so far

Bilger has been minister for about ten weeks, and the bridge programme is many years old. His documented bridge decisions so far are the approval of the revised B 293 plans and the Rader Hochbrücke visit. More broadly, he has pushed the financing reform that is meant to give the Autobahn GmbH multi-year planning security. The closures at Rahmede and Bonn, and the collapse in Dresden, all happened before he took office. The Federal Audit Office's criticism of how progress is counted concerns a reporting period before his term.

Whether the pace now improves will be measurable: the audit office's yardstick is the number of programme-compliant sections completed each year. Readers should treat claims about the programme, including future ministry claims, with the counting caveats above in mind. The regional effects of bridge closures, which lengthen commutes and lorry routes, are discussed on regional connectivity and transport and the economy.