German highway stretch reopening to be delayed

Repairs to the A20 highway route in northern Germany are now likely to take longer than initially expected. The route will now take until 2023 to repair, with the work costing some €100 million to carry out and requiring a temporary bridge to carry traffic past the failed section. The temporary bridge accounts for more than half of the cost of the work. The geological problems with the A20 Autobahn route first became visible in September 2018 when a section near Tribsees started to suffer from subsidence.
February 19, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
Repairs to the A20 highway route in northern Germany are now likely to take longer than initially expected. The route will now take until 2023 to repair, with the work costing some €100 million to carry out and requiring a temporary bridge to carry traffic past the failed section. The temporary bridge accounts for more than half of the cost of the work.


The geological problems with the A20 Autobahn route first became visible in September 2018 when a section near Tribsees started to suffer from subsidence. This initial subsidence was then followed by a complete collapse of a 40m section of the road and became progressively worse, resulting in a 95m stretch suffering major failure. The presence of peat deposits under the roadway has been blamed for the technical problems. Insufficient stabilisation of the afflicted stretch was carried out prior to building of the road.

Building a road over very soft ground requires special construction techniques. However these methods are well understood, having been developed during the early days of the railway building boom in the UK during the 19th century. The Manchester to Liverpool railway line opened to traffic in 1830 and features a 7.6km stretch built across the Chat Moss bog, with this section of track remaining in use today. Why these techniques were not properly employed for this road project is unclear.

Road Structures

Related Content

  • Tunnels and bridges, improving Argentina's major road link
    May 2, 2012
    A road improvement plus tunnel and bridge building contract in an area once inhabited by dinosaurs in northern Argentina, is a small but key part of an ambitious project to complete a road that will eventually link the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Latin America - Adriana Potts reports. Remote, rough and spectacular are words that come to mind when describing the mountains of Ischigualasto in Argentina's northern province of San Juan This is the only place in the world where an undisturbed sequence of rock
    Read More
  • Italy’s horrific bridge collapse is a sign of a wider problem
    January 7, 2019
    The shocking collapse of a major highway bridge in the Italian city of Genoa has highlighted a major problem with regard to poor infrastructure condition in the country. Causing multiple fatalities, the cable-stayed Morandi Bridge suffered a spectacular failure of a central support. Homes have had to be evacuated and it seems likely that the bridge, opened in 1967, will now have to be demolished. However, warnings had been given. The unusual bridge design, with its thin deck and reinforced concrete stays
    Read More
  • Music on the go
    January 7, 2019
    Our Skidmarks page is highly rated by readers. Your input could help make this page even more entertaining. If you come across any amusing road-related stories or pictures email me at [email protected] MUSIC ON THE GO Video footage shot in Spain recently reveals the driver of a car playing guitar while at the wheel. The passenger in a car driving past shot the video clip as the vehicles travelled along a major highway route. The strumming driver was presumed to be steering with his knees at the time. Qui
    Read More
  • Nepal highway subsidence problem causing traffic disturbance
    March 11, 2017
    Subsidence on a key stretch of highway in Nepal is causing major traffic disturbance. The BP Highway, also known as the Banepa- Sindhuli- Bardibas Road, has suffered subsidence on the Nepalthok-Khurkot stretch. The collapsed section measures 27m long and is causing delays for drivers. This Highway is an important route as it connets Nepal’s capital Kathmandu with Eastern Terai. Vehicles have been diverted to an alternative route, although part of the roadway is still being used to carry traffic in one d
    Read More

Highlighted Content