Düsseldorf/Lüdenscheid (dpa/lnw) – The demolition of the Rahmede viaduct on the central A45 in Lüdenscheid, which was originally promised for this December, will definitely be postponed to 2023. “It won’t be anything this year,” said a spokesman for the Westphalia branch of Autobahn GmbH on Friday when asked by dpa. The background are delays in the tendering process for the demolition. In addition, the land acquisition negotiations with owners and companies in the immediate vicinity of the dilapidated bridge have proven to be complex and difficult. But they are now nearing completion.
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) had promised that the bridge would be demolished in 2022. The date given was December 18th. In recent weeks, however, there have been increasing doubts as to whether this date can be kept. The director of the Westphalia branch of the federal Autobahn GmbH, Elfriede Sauerwein-Braksiek, spoke of “care before speed” at the end of October and announced a schedule within two weeks. This is now expected in the coming days.
The bridge on the autobahn, which is important throughout Germany, has been completely closed near Lüdenscheid for almost a year, and the north-south axis is interrupted at this point. The detour traffic puts a considerable strain on citizens and businesses in the region.