Overview

• Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder and Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner inaugurated the 3.2‑kilometre 16th section, with traffic due to start flowing later in the afternoon.
• The new stretch runs from Dreieck Neukölln to the Treptower Park exit, includes three interchanges at Grenzallee, Sonnenallee and Treptower Park, and was built largely in a deep trench with a roughly 400‑metre tunnel after about twelve years of work.
• Police reported roughly 100 demonstrators at Treptow around midday and about 150–250 at the Estrel hotel, with around 280 officers deployed and events remaining peaceful.
• Supporters say the extension will pull traffic off residential streets and improve links to BER and routes toward Dresden, Cottbus and Frankfurt (Oder).
• Schnieder and Wegner argued the project only fully works with a 17th section, while environmental groups and local initiatives vowed to fight further expansion and Autobahn GmbH signaled a preferred plan will be presented.