Overview

• Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder and Mayor Kai Wegner inaugurated the 3.2‑kilometre 16th section linking Dreieck Neukölln and Treptower Park after a decade-long build.
• The extension cost about €721 million, adds three junctions (Grenzallee, Sonnenallee, Treptower Park) and runs largely in a trench with a short tunnel.
• Police counted roughly 100 to 250 demonstrators and deployed about 280 officers, and the formal ceremony was held at a hotel rather than on the roadway.
• Backers promise relief for local streets and quicker access to BER, while environmental groups and researchers warn of induced traffic, noise and higher emissions.
• Officials reiterated plans for a 17th section, with Autobahn GmbH preparing a preferred design, as near-term flows face a bottleneck at the Elsenbrücke works.