Drivers in southwestern Berlin must prepare for years of restrictions and a high probability of traffic jams, ADAC warns. Truck drivers, in particular, will have to contend with detours.
The three-lane viaduct, which is part of the Funkturm motorway junction and carries more than 200,000 vehicles every day, is in poor condition and only suitable for limited use. It is not yet clear how long it will take to build the new structure. However, it is known that a load-bearing element of the 240-meter-long structure is cracked. After the damage was discovered, the structure was completely closed on March 19. This week, the motorway operator Autobahn GmbH presented a long-term solution.
A northbound lane has been created on the carriageway in the opposite direction. According to the road operator, Autobahn GmbH, it is not approved for trucks weighing 3.5 tons or more. Such vehicles must take detours and bypass the A100. The Autobahn traffic management plan stipulates that truck traffic not destined for Berlin will be redirected via the Berlin bypass (A10).
Trucks carrying goods to Berlin have a choice of two routes. From Potsdam, they can take the B2, or from Dallgow-Döberitz, they can take the B5 and then the Heerstraße, which is often congested. According to Ronald Normann, director of the Nordost Autobahn branch, most trucks set off on the route to supply Berlin with goods or factories with products. He announced that “the entire transport system in Berlin will have to be balanced” and that further changes will be necessary.