Overview

• The Dresden building committee voted seven to five in favor of a four-lane replacement and forwarded its recommendation to the full city council for a final decision.
• A four-lane layout would increase the bridge’s width from 33 meters to about 41 meters under current road and cycle path standards.
• The SPD and a group of traffic experts warn that the wider bridge would drive costs up by tens of millions of euros and alter the character of Dresden’s historic cityscape.
• Because only appropriately dimensioned projects qualify for government funding, the four-lane plan could lose eligibility for that support.
• Demolition of the old bridge continues with the Elbe River closed to shipping until September 2025 and construction now projected to start in 2028 with completion by 2031.