Hamburg's First Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) is calling for a federal contribution to a replacement solution for the Köhlbrand Bridge. The federal government recently refused to commit to this.
"Golden Gate of Hamburg"
The 3,618 metre long cable-stayed bridge has been crossing the 325 metre wide Köhlbrand, a branch of the Süderelbe, since 1974. It connects the Steinwerder district on the Hamburg Elbe island of Wilhelmsburg with Waltershof on the A7 motorway and thus also links the port to the motorways to Flensburg, Kiel, Hanover and Bremen.
Replacement crossing
Hamburg believes that the federal government is still responsible for financing a replacement solution for the Köhlbrand Bridge, which is important for the port. In 2020, the city signed an agreement with the then Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) that the costs of the new Köhlbrand crossing would be shared, the SPD politician told the German Press Agency. Tschentscher expects the federal government to honour this commitment and see the Köhlbrand crossing as a joint project between the federal government and the City of Hamburg.
Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) recently responded to a minor question from the CDU/CSU in the Bundestag, stating that he did not want to commit to any involvement in principle. The Köhlbrand crossing is the responsibility of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, he said. The prerequisite for a decision on federal funding is the existence of verifiable project plans with cost calculations. The Federal Ministry of Transport does not currently have the relevant documents.
New plans
The plans for the replacement of the ageing Köhlbrand Bridge, which is in need of renovation, are currently being revised. The reason for this is a significant price increase for the tunnel variant that had already been decided on. Due to initially unknown difficulties with muddy ground, in May 2023 the economic authority had stated the costs at 5.31 billion euros and at the same time announced that after years of favouring the tunnel project, it wanted to examine the construction of a new bridge again.
Cost comparison
In order to be able to compare the costs of a new bridge with those of a tunnel, both variants would have to be available at the same planning depth. Only then can it be assessed whether a tunnel or a bridge is the better option in terms of costs, service life and technical design.
Both will be expensive, "that was clear from the start," said the mayor. But the transport links to the harbour are of national importance, which is why there has to be a new Köhlbrand crossing. Due to this overriding importance, the federal government had also upgraded the crossing to a federal highway.
It will probably be another 10 to 15 years before a solution, whether bridge or tunnel, is finalised.
Source: t-online, ndr
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