According to a report in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”, the Federal Ministry of Transport is planning significant cuts in investments in motorways. Funding for Autobahn GmbH, which builds and operates the motorways, is to be cut by 20 percent next year compared to previous plans, the newspaper writes, citing the government’s draft federal budget for 2025.
Instead of 6.29 billion euros, there would only be 4.99 billion euros. According to the newspaper, investments will also be cut by around one billion euros each in 2026 and 2027, and by another 378 million euros in 2028. A ministry spokeswoman declined to comment on Saturday, citing the ongoing budget preparation.
The cuts are therefore even more dramatic when you consider that Autobahn GmbH has announced a higher need than was foreseen in the current financial planning. According to the company’s internal calculations, 4.1 billion euros will be missing over the next four years for the construction, expansion, maintenance and operation of the motorways. Autobahn GmbH has increased financial needs, especially for the urgently needed bridge modernization program, a spokesman told the newspaper. He did not want to comment on the impending cuts.
“The sad tradition of Germany saving money on its roads and bridges is unfortunately continuing,” the president of the German Construction Industry Association, Peter Hübner, told the newspaper. “For decades, too little has been invested, not even in maintenance.”
