"No utilization of the designated resource is planned for a singular construction project concerning roads"
In a shocking turn of events, the Federal Minister of Transport, Patrick Schnieder (CDU), has announced that planned construction projects on the road network will not be carried out, and intends to stop already fully planned projects as of 2025.
The decision comes as the Federal Ministry of Transport acknowledges the insecurity of financing federal highways for the coming years due to underfunding. The current situation of inadequate funding for road maintenance in several German states, including North Rhine-Westphalia, Thuringia, Baden-Württemberg, Lower Saxony, and Bavaria, is causing concern among officials like MP Carl-Philipp Sassenrath.
The underfunding for road maintenance leads to significant consequences in the current legislative period. There are hundreds of construction projects that could start immediately but will not be realized due to the federal government not releasing the necessary funds. In North Rhine-Westphalia alone, 29 highway projects and 11 federal road construction projects will not be realized due to lack of funds.
The document from the Federal Ministry of Transport states that the financing of federal highways is not secure in many areas for the coming years. The mega-debts incurred cannot be used for the maintenance of the road network, and there is a financial hole of 14.9 billion euros opening up in the long-distance road budget from next year. Despite the "Infrastructure" special fund, amounting to 500 billion euros, being fully expended, the road network in Germany is expected to continue to deteriorate according to the financial planning.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz's cabinet is responsible for 50% of the debt incurred by all previous chancellors in 76 years. The financial planning for the infrastructure of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's cabinet until 2029 indicates ongoing challenges in securing financing for federal highways.
MP Carl-Philipp Sassenrath, who sits on the transport committee, finds the situation inexplicable and believes that at least ready-to-build projects should be implemented. He questions the rationale behind not implementing ready-to-build projects in the face of the country's deteriorating road network. The Bild newspaper reported these findings, citing the financial planning of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's cabinet until 2029.
The federal government has clarified that it will not construct any new highways or federal roads. The deterioration of the road network in Germany is expected to continue, even after the expenditure of the "special fund". The situation has raised concerns among the public and officials, with calls for immediate action to address the issue.
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