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One Year After Carolabrücke Collapse, Saxony Debates Bridge Safety and Funding

Lawmakers marked the anniversary by urging deeper inspections, clearer priorities, dedicated funding for bridge safety.

Overview

  • The state parliament held a debate on the anniversary, with Infrastructure Minister Regina Kraushaar calling for more detailed checks, clear priority-setting, funding, open communication and swift action.
  • Saxony is carrying out special inspections of 19 prestressed-concrete bridges built similarly to the Carolabrücke, with officials citing progress at the B101 bridge in Großenhain and the Elbe bridge in Bad Schandau.
  • Opposition lawmakers warned of blind spots across roughly 8,000 municipal bridges whose condition is not systematically known, saying cash-strapped localities are postponing repairs.
  • Planned allocations of about €23–25 million in the 2025/26 budget drew criticism from those who argue bridge maintenance alone requires roughly €20 million annually, while others decried the overall state of roads and reliance on debt.
  • A local commentary described heavier congestion for drivers since the collapse and argued that more residents are switching to bicycles as motoring feels increasingly unattractive in Dresden.