The federal government is facing one of its biggest infrastructure tasks in decades: thousands of highway bridges must be renovated or replaced. This is evident from the government's response to a Greens' parliamentary question (BT-Drucksache 21/2449). For the logistics sector, this heralds a long phase of additional burdens.
Legacy of concrete – and no end in sight
About 8,000 bridges in the federal motorway network are deemed in need of renovation, according to BUND; officially, the Federal Bridge Modernization Program has so far recorded only about 4,500. Many structures date from the 1960s and 1970s — designed for traffic volumes that have long since been surpassed. Particularly critical are prestressed concrete bridges with prestressing tendons, weakened by stress corrosion cracking.
Overall, more than 300 bridges are currently closed to heavy transports,
with a further around 500 only passable with restrictions. For freight forwarders handling oversized and heavy transports, that means: elaborate route planning, additional permit procedures and rising costs.
Renovating at snail's pace
Although the federal government has steadily increased the funds for maintaining the federal expressway network in recent years — in 2024, 5.87 billion euros flowed into maintenance, of which 1.98 billion euros were allocated to bridges alone. Yet the modernization pace remains low. Between 400 and 600 substructures are to be repaired or replaced each year.
Given thousands of problem cases, this means: traffic will be accompanied by construction sites and detours at least until 2032. The Autobahn GmbH is currently working on 761 planning projects, 347 measures are under construction.
Staff shortage – monitoring goes digital
A bottleneck
remains the shortage of skilled workers. The Autobahn GmbH has been able to increase its staff since 2021 from 2,100 to just over 3,400 full-time positions, but demand remains higher. In the future, a central competence center for civil engineering in Hanover will pool planning capacity.
At the same time, digitalization is entering bridge monitoring: sensors, acoustic emission measurement and new recalculation procedures should detect cracks and material fatigue early. Insights from the collapse of the Carolabrücke in 2024 feed into the new recalculation directive.
Kritik und Konsequenzen
The Federal Court of Audit had pointed out clear deficits in the Bridge Modernization Program in spring 2025 — such as faulty project reports and unclear progress indicators. In response, Autobahn GmbH introduced a digital project controlling and uniform metrics for success measurement.
By the end of 2026, the program “Bridge 2032 plus” is to trigger the next level: stronger structures along the main axes, new materials, modular construction methods and continuous digital condition monitoring.
Implications for logistics
For freight traffic, the renovation wave will become a permanent burden. Weight restrictions, closures and detours affect travel times, planning and vehicle availability. The North–South corridors of the trans-European network are particularly affected.
The road freight sector should therefore prepare for more planning effort and long-term route adjustments. Digital tools for route optimization, flexible deployment planning and close cooperation with permitting authorities will become even more important for competitiveness.
Conclusion: The bridge crisis is not a short-term phenomenon. It will shape logistics into the 2030s — and demand from transport companies more strategic flexibility than ever.
