Experts: Huge Costs Due to Dilapidated Bridges Are Often Avoidable

“Build and forget” strategy

Many bridges were built after World War II and designed for a service life of 80 years, Marx said. Often, they had been designed for a different load. “We have much more heavy-duty traffic and traffic overall today than we did at the time when many bridges were designed and built.”

Afterward, a maintenance strategy was adopted that Marx said could be called “build and forget” (“build it and forget it”), Marx noted. “The bridges are built, but then not maintained.” Only the legally required inspections take place every six years. “That’s why we’re now facing a huge wave of bridges in poor condition.”

With so many bridges in very poor condition, he added, there are inevitably some that are in even worse shape than previously assumed—collapses are virtually inevitable at some point. However, the Carola Bridge is the first bridge since World War II to have collapsed while in use. The cause was hidden wire breaks inside the structure—they could not be detected during inspections.

Under the “traffic light” coalition government of the SPD, Greens, and FDP, the Ministry of Transportation had identified 4,000 highway bridges that are particularly important for traffic but in need of modernization. They are to be renovated or replaced within a few years—a goal that the current federal government is also committed to.

New construction would often not be necessary at all

However, Marx noted that the government largely interprets “modernization” to mean demolition and new construction. Yet about half of the bridges that are demolished could be renovated—which would save significant costs. “The relevant parts need to be repaired, but the bridge doesn’t have to look brand-new.” Claßen, too, is convinced that not every bridge needs to be replaced immediately. “For many structures, an intelligent condition assessment can help schedule measures efficiently.”

When it comes to replacing bridges, however, the biggest challenge often lies in planning, permitting, and contracting. So-called functional tenders are an important lever: “Instead of defining projects down to the last detail, there should be a greater focus on describing the function a structure must fulfill. This creates room for innovative and more efficient solutions.”

In addition, more standardization and modularization are needed. “Many bridges are still treated as individual projects,” said Claßen. Yet there are technically mature rapid-construction approaches that could drastically reduce construction times—and thus also closure periods.

It is also important to improve existing bridge monitoring strategies, Claßen said. And despite all the shortcomings and opportunities for improvement: “The risk of an unexpected collapse remains low overall in Germany.”

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