Skip to main content

Germany performs U turn on privatising autobahn projects

Germany has made a U-turn on its controversial proposals to allow private investment into the administration of the Autobahn network. The proposals had attracted a great deal of political criticism and had become the subject of some debate. Proposals may yet allow private investors to take stakes in motorway construction projects. The country has a substantial backlog of road projects. The suggestion to allow private investment into Autobahn projects has come following discussions between the Federal Govern
November 1, 2016 Read time: 1 min
Germany has made a U-turn on its controversial proposals to allow private investment into the administration of the Autobahn network. The proposals had attracted a great deal of political criticism and had become the subject of some debate. Proposals may yet allow private investors to take stakes in motorway construction projects. The country has a substantial backlog of road projects. The suggestion to allow private investment into Autobahn projects has come following discussions between the Federal Government and state governments across the country. At present Germany invests around €3.5 billion/year in building new Autobahn sections or maintaining existing stretches.

Related Content

  • Slovak government stands firm over R2 Expressway, including Soroska Tunnel
    August 11, 2017
    Jan Durisin, head of Slovakia’s motorway operator NDS, has said that the R2 expressway, will go ahead despite watchdog fears of poor value for money. Completion of the R2, that includes the Soroska Tunnel, remains 2024, he told Slovakian news agencies. NDS, he said, will start looking for a contractor to start work in 2018 on a stretch of the expressway near the town of Roznava. R2 is a 360km route that will run from Kosice in the east across the country to Trenčín, near the Czech border in the west. It wil
  • Making the U-turn
    August 2, 2012
    Political hostility to a toll road project in Australia has been turned around by the quality and amenity of the project writes Adrian Greeman Cars, trucks and vans were taking to the new EastLink toll road in Melbourne with enthusiasm this July, pleased to try out its 39km route for time and cost savings. As well as the convenience of the uncongested route, drivers were also able to view an extraordinary multi-shaded perspective of transparent green and orange noise wall panels, burnt earth-coloured retai
  • Russia new programme for developing high-speed roads
    January 14, 2019
    Russia has approved a new state programme for the development of its high-speed road network – Eugene Gerden reports The Russian government has officially approved a new state programme, which is aimed at developing the federal high-speed road network in the country. This programme will run until 2030, according to recent statements by the official state press-service. According to some leading Russian experts in the roadbuilding sector, the need to implement these plans is acute. At present the tota
  • Financing safer, more sustainable European roads
    April 12, 2012
    The future financing of the European road network has again become a hot topic in Brussels On 15 October, 2010 in the Belgian capital, the Council of Transport Ministers hammered out a political compromise on the revision of the Eurovignette Directive that paves the way for the imposition of additional charges on road transport as a means of internalising externalities. Whether the imposition of these additional costs is justified or not remains the subject of protracted debate.