Bridge near Imbshausen closed: farmers fight for detours!

Bridge near Imbshausen closed: farmers fight for detours!

The situation around the bridge over the A7 near Imbshausen has been a great lack of understanding and frustration among the farmers in the region since the closure in 2024. The reason for this is an inadequate passage height, which was created by the motorway expansion. The new road, which is higher than before, no longer fulfills the originally planned height of 4.69 meters. Thus, the bridge is no longer usable for agricultural traffic, especially for tractors, which the fields want to operate west of the highway, how NDR reports.

A heavy van stayed on the bridge in 2023, which revealed the terrifying planning error, which is the responsibility of Autobahn GmbH, which took over the planning from NLSTBV in 2017. In order to find at least one provisional solution, the bridge was raised by 20 cm, but this was not sufficient to enable use for pedestrians and vehicles. The local mayor, Jan-David Schmidt, is frustrated by the situation and criticizes the financial consequences for taxpayers.

The consequences for agriculture

The farmers are the main affected of the bridge closure. To get to your fields, you have to drive long detours, which not only costs time, but also causes additional costs. Alternatively, transitions are available, but they are not suitable for large machines. The Feldmarks cooperative has concerns that the provisional construct could become a permanent solution, which would extend the inconvenience. Autobahn GmbH has announced that it will only be expected to have various structural options, but a decision can only be expected after the end of 2025, which further heats up the waves of unrest.

The participation in the resident in technical planning is not planned, but future discussions about the construction activities are planned. A lawyer checks that of durable compensation claims for those affected by the situation, which reinforces the discussion about responsibilities and future plans.

growing bridge problem in Germany

In the light of these difficulties, the bridge situation in Germany is critical. Over 8,000 motorway bridges and more than 3,000 federal road bridges are considered in need of renovation. According to Ingenieur, many buildings are now exceeding the life cycle that they were originally supposed to reach. The incident of the Carola Bridge in Dresden has alerted many and is considered a wake-up call for infrastructure policy.

The problem is diverse and not only includes planning errors, but also ramshackles structures that are endangered by aging processes. Cities like Stuttgart and Nuremberg have already developed successful strategies for renovating bridge. Digitization methods and comprehensive modernizations are necessary to restore not only security, but also the quality of life in the affected regions.

But also on the highways, the situation remains tense: At the weekend, the wearer in Schleswig-Holstein has already been lifted for a new bridge on the A7, which shows that despite the difficulties in other bridges, work is being done on solutions. However, the challenge remains great, since the approval processes are often lengthy and make comprehensive planning necessary, as [Autobahn] (https://www.autobahn.de/planen-baugen/Projekt/a7-brueckenneubau-an-der-er-start position) clarifies.