Overview

• The 3.2‑kilometre 16th section from Dreieck Neukölln to Treptower Park opens to traffic this afternoon, largely in a trench up to seven meters deep with three junctions including Grenzallee and Sonnenallee.
• Event organizers are holding the opening at the Estrel Hotel in Neukölln rather than on the roadway, with Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder and Mayor Kai Wegner scheduled to attend.
• Activist groups, including the Bündnis A100 wegbassen, plan actions at the Treptower exit and a rally outside the hotel during the ceremony.
• The Autobahn operator says the extension will ease local streets in Treptow and Neukölln and improve access to BER airport and routes toward Dresden, Cottbus and Frankfurt (Oder).
• Greens and Greenpeace oppose further expansion and call the project costly and harmful, while the IHK and Wegner back continued planning for the contested 17th section.