Lüdenscheid has become a symbol of the catastrophic consequences of the renovation backlog on the highways, especially in the west of the republic. Since the end of 2021, when the Rahmedetal bridge was closed to all traffic from now on due to serious damage, the endless motorcade of trucks and cars has been struggling on the diversion route through the middle of the hilly city in the Sauerland.
The agony for residents and companies will not change anytime soon. And yet the blowing up of the dilapidated bridge is the psychologically significant signal that progress is finally being made, that things are progressing even faster than we have been used to. This also applies to blasting, which is particularly demanding due to the extreme slope.
Because, in turn, the new building is classified as a replacement building, no planning approval procedure is necessary. There is a good chance that at least the first half of the new crossing over the Rahmedetal could be opened at the end of 2026. According to current practice, this would be record-breaking.
From now on, this should be the case everywhere in Germany. Lüdenscheid must become the bridge benchmark. But even then, the danger to Germany as a business location will not be averted for years to come. Because far too little money has been flowing into the renovation for far too long, 4000 bridges across the country are now dilapidated. Lüdenscheid is everywhere.