The German government is struggling to increase the pace of necessary repairs and refurbishment of motorway bridges. Instead of speeding up, the number of bridges successfully renovated in Germany dropped to 157 in 2025. This is a significant decline from the 212 bridges that were completed in 2024, according to a response from the Federal Ministry of Transport to Green politician Swantje Michaelsen, as reported by Spiegel.
Initially, the Ministry of Transport had aimed much higher, intending to renovate 400 bridges annually based on plans that originated during the previous coalition government. However, the Ministry cited limitations resulting from provisional budget management as the reason for these delays when responding to the inquiry.
The current trajectory also suggests the government will miss its targets in 2026. The Ministry’s response, provided by Steffen Bilger (CDU), indicated that 70 bridge structural components were completed in the first half of 2026, a slight increase over the first half of 2025. Additionally, 100 other structural components are currently under construction, expected to finish by the end of 2026. This total of 170 units is still lower than the figures recorded between 2022 and 2024. For context, only 124 bridges were finalized during the COVID-affected year of 2021.
Michaelsen told Spiegel that tens of thousands of motorway bridges desperately require maintenance. She recalled instances in the past where temporary complete closures, such as those near the Rahmedetal or the Bonner Nordbrücke, caused considerable disruption and led to dramatic consequences for users and residents in the affected areas. This low renovation rate is surprising, particularly given that a significant amount of the half-billion-euro special fund is allocated toward the upkeep of these motorway bridges.
Regarding future plans, the federal government intends to finance parts of the bridge modernization from funds currently allocated to the Ministry of Defence under a special appropriation exemption. These funds are being used to strengthen structures that need to be reinforced for troop movements. Meanwhile, Michaelsen has demanded that the government place all motorway construction projects on hold until the targets set by the bridge modernization program can be met.
Furthermore, the federally owned operator of the motorways, Autobahn GmbH, is set to receive a new source of revenue. The Federal Cabinet approved a bill on Wednesday that allows the company to take out private loans. However, this move does not automatically guarantee that planning, permitting, or the construction processes themselves will be accelerated.
