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New A100 Stretch Hits Gridlock Days After Opening

A nearby Elsenbrücke bottleneck left traffic spilling back to a new tunnel, validating months of warnings from opposition politicians.

Overview

  • The 3.2-kilometer 16th section between Dreieck Neukölln and Treptower Park opened on Wednesday.
  • On Friday, the traffic information center briefly closed the Treptow-bound carriageway because standstill is prohibited in tunnels, then reopened it after about an hour.
  • On Saturday, a lengthy backup reappeared toward Treptow, with drivers reporting about 20 minutes for the three-kilometer stretch and police citing heavy volume plus a disabled vehicle.
  • Traffic is funneled onto the under-reconstruction Elsenbrücke with one lane per direction, creating a choke point that pushes congestion back onto the new roadway.
  • Opposition lawmakers renewed calls for a local traffic plan, while a researcher estimated the proposed 17th section could cost around €2 billion and fail economic-efficiency tests.