Dispute over the new Carola Bridge: Expensive plans and political accusations!

Dispute over the new Carola Bridge: Expensive plans and political accusations!

A heated argument is raging in the Dresden city council over the construction of the new Carola Bridge, which is currently being accompanied by a lively debate. Patrick Probst from the FDP/Free Citizens recently brought an important court ruling from the Higher Administrative Court of North Rhine-Westphalia into play. This ruling states that the adaptation to current regulations does not constitute a change to the planning approval. Probst expressed concern that fears were being stirred up in the city council with half-truths that could jeopardize the progress of construction planning.

The cost situation surrounding bridge construction also leads to intensive discussions. Peter Lames, former finance mayor of the SPD, warned of the high costs of a four-lane bridge. In the current double budget, an impressive 170 million euros are budgeted for the bridge, with funding of 35 million euros expected. However, Lames has doubts that there will actually be funding for the wider bridge and fears that costs could rise further due to an extended construction period.

Criticism of transport policy

Another critical word comes from André Schollbach, representative of the Left Party, who accuses the CDU of having an outdated transport policy. He compares this with the concrete policy of the former SED and notes that the planned new bridge should be almost twice as wide as the Albert Bridge (22 meters). Reinhard Koettnitz, former head of the road construction department, supports him in this, who finds the four lanes to be oversized. He points to research results that show that private transport is steadily decreasing, while public transport and cycling are increasing.

A look into the past shows that the traffic system in the city did not collapse during the renovation work on the Carola Bridge, even though the bridge was only accessible on two lanes. Schollbach and Koettnitz use this experience as an opportunity to argue that a wider bridge is not necessary.

Legal framework

Another aspect that often does not receive enough attention in this debate is the legal framework. Like that Law Forum As noted, judgments from German courts are continually updated and served ex officio in order to clarify the deadline and enforcement. The public availability of these decisions, which has been regulated since 1997, ensures that citizens are also informed about controversial issues.

Overall, it shows that the discussion surrounding the Carola Bridge is a reflection of current social and transport policy challenges in Dresden. The plans are ambitious, but the opinions and concerns could make the road to the new bridge rather rocky. It will be interesting to see whether the city agrees on a compromise or sticks to the existing plan.