Near Lüdenscheid it becomes clear how important a single bridge can be for an entire region: the Rahmedetal Bridge had to be torn down and rebuilt. The economic damage is immense.
“Nobody stands in traffic for hours for fishing accessories,” says retailer Heike Sieling-Laudien. Shortly after the Rahmedetal Bridge was closed, sales in her business fell by 90 percent because diversion traffic clogged the streets in her area.
She has now moved her fishing shop within Lüdenscheid so that her customers can reach her better again. Although sales have increased again since then, they are still far lower than before the lockdown.
“We haven’t given up hope yet,” says Sieling-Laudien. However, if business does not improve significantly in the next twelve months, she will have to close her shop.
“Unreasonable for the entire region”
The fact that this is about more than just a motorway bridge became quickly clear today during the visit of Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP): “The past few months have been an unreasonable burden for the entire region,” said the minister in Lüdenscheid. “The diversions put an unbearable burden on the people here.”
This imposition is likely to continue for several years. The Rahmedetal Bridge on the A45 has become a symbol of the dilapidated transport infrastructure in Germany. The bridge had to be closed at the end of 2021 for safety reasons and was finally blown up in May of this year. Since the closure, diversion traffic has been rolling through Lüdenscheid and causing noise, and the economic consequences for the region are significant.
Longer travel times for trucks and commuters
With today’s groundbreaking ceremony, the new building begins. The first part of the new bridge is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2026, from then on traffic would be possible again in both directions.
The bridge chaos has enormous consequences, especially for logistics companies. On average, a single truck journey takes more than an hour longer than before the bridge was closed, according to a survey by the NRW Transport Industry and Logistics Association.
The commutes of employees in various industries have also become longer. This makes it even more difficult to attract skilled workers, who are already difficult for companies across Germany to find.
More economical Damage in the billions
Nationwide, Transport Minister Wissing speaks of 4,000 motorway bridges that need to be modernized. On the Sauerland line alone – the important traffic axis on the A45 between Dortmund and Frankfurt, on which the Rahmedetal Bridge is also located – all 60 bridges are dilapidated. How big the overall economic impact is can only be guessed at.
The consulting firm IW Consult, a subsidiary of the employer-related German Economic Institute, calculated the consequences for the Rahmedetal Bridge. On behalf of a transport association, she prepared an “economic damage assessment”. The experts estimate economic damage “of at least 1.8 billion euros” over a period of five years. Because of a single bridge, mind you.
In Lüdenscheid, Mayor Sebastian Wagemeyer (SPD) is now trying to spread hope: “The perspective is now there,” he says and hopes that the new bridge will actually be completed by summer 2026: “Only with reliability can you regain people’s trust , which has suffered considerably in this region in recent months and years.”