Germany is apparently planning significant cuts in investments in its motorway network. Next year the funds for this will be reduced by a fifth and there will also be one billion euros less money in the coming years.
Funds for Autobahn GmbH, which builds and operates the highways, should be reduced by 20 percent next year compared to previous planning, reports the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (FAZ), citing the government’s draft for Germany’s 2025 federal budget .
One billion euros less in 2025
Instead of 6.29 billion euros, there will only be 4.99 billion euros next year. According to the FAZ, investments will also be reduced by approximately one billion euros in 2026 and 2027, and by another 378 million euros in 2028. A ministry spokeswoman declined to comment on Saturday, citing ongoing budget preparation.
According to the newspaper, the cuts are even more dramatic when you consider that Autobahn GmbH has reported higher needs than anticipated in the current financial planning. According to the company’s internal calculations, there will be a deficit of 4.1 billion euros over the next four years for new construction, expansion, maintenance and operation of the highways.
Autobahn GmbH has increased its financial needs, especially for the urgently needed bridge modernization program, said a spokesman who declined to comment on the threatened cuts against the FAZ.
The construction sector responds with criticism
“The sad tradition of Germany not destroying its roads and bridges unfortunately continues,” the chairman of the Main Association of the German Construction Industry, Peter Hübner, told the newspaper. “There has been too little investment for decades, not even in maintenance.”
Source: Krone
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