Bridge threat in Central Saxony: renovation costs are exploding!

Bridge threat in Central Saxony: renovation costs are exploding!

Nowadays, when there is an urgent need for action, the bridges in Central Saxony are in a desolate condition. According to a comment from Free Press The district would have to spend around 3 million euros annually to keep the bridges in an acceptable structural condition. But not only the district, but also the federal government and the Free State of Saxony have a responsibility here that is often not taken into account.

What does it look like in practice? Many municipalities often estimate the investment required for their bridge renovations to be between 1 and 10 million euros. But the sad reality is that many communities do not have enough financial resources to make the necessary contributions for funding. The situation is also clear in the building department of the city of Waldheim: There the overall condition of the bridges is described as “extremely unsatisfactory”. MDR reported.

Financing problems and need for renovation

The dilemma is getting worse because many renovation projects simply cannot be implemented without sufficient funding from the federal and state governments. In the municipality of Demitz-Thumitz, for example, renovation costs for small bridges are calculated at around 400,000 euros. However, municipal resources are so limited that there is hardly any scope for the necessary contributions.

Another example is the city of Werdau in the Zwickau district, which reports construction price inflation of over 35 percent in the last five years. Here, the high planning approval costs and construction costs can no longer be covered by own funds. In addition, many cities, like Limbach-Oberfrohna, criticize the inadequate funding and the lack of staff, which makes applying for funding extremely difficult.

The renovation backlog is growing

An alarming study by the German Institute for Urban Studies, which was carried out on behalf of well-known associations, has shown that almost every second road bridge in the municipalities is in poor condition. Overall, an investment requirement of over 370 billion euros by 2030 is estimated for the maintenance and expansion of the infrastructure daily news reported. There are also serious deficiencies in local public transport that urgently need to be addressed.

Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing has indicated that funding for bridge renovations should be increased to 2.5 billion euros per year from 2026. This could shed some light on the matter, but time is of the essence and the renovation backlog already affects over 4,000 bridges. The hope remains that the municipalities will also take action and finally take the necessary steps to bring the country's infrastructure up to date.