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

  • New international trade crossing linking Canada and US
    June 9, 2015
    The Detroit River is short, only 45km, and narrow in places, less than 1km. Around a quarter of the annual $658 billion Canada-US trade crosses over the river. That’s $160 billion worth of goods trucked each year between Detroit in the US state of Michigan and the Canadian city of Windsor in the province of Ontario - the Windsor-Detroit Corridor. There are several types of crossings, but the vast majority of commercial traffic must use the 2.3km Ambassador Bridge (see box). A new bridge was initially prop
  • Financing model confirmed for German Autobahn
    June 27, 2016
    The refinancing package for Germany’s A8 Autobahn has now been formalised. The section of the A8 runs between Ulm and Augsburg in the south of Germany and is operated by concession firm Pansuevia, a 50:50 partnership between HOCHTIEF and STRABAG. The 58 km section of the A8 between Ulm and Augsburg was opened to traffic on schedule in September 2015 after four years of construction. PANSUEVIA designed, financed, and carried out the widening of the section to six lanes and took over maintenance and operation
  • Germany sets up National Cycle Plan 3.0
    July 21, 2020
    Germany’s three-year national strategy carries on from previous strategies.
  • Slovakia’s Cabinet to have final say on D4 Bratislava bypass
    February 9, 2016
    The government of Robert Fico has said it will decide the fate of the controversial €1 billion Bratislava bypass, the D4 motorway project, possibly ahead of a national parliamentary election next month. Fico, who also was prime minister from 2006-2010, was re-appointed after leading his Direction Social Democracy party (SMER-SD) to a landslide victory in the 2012 parliamentary election. His party won 83 seats and formed an absolute majority government, Slovakia’s first since 1989. Controversy continue