The infrastructure in Germany is falling into disrepair faster than it can be replaced and expanded. This is by no means a Hamburg phenomenon. However, what falls into disrepair in the Hanseatic city harms all of Germany. The largest domestic seaport is of enormous importance for the entire country, not only for foreign trade and energy supply, but also, to a rapidly growing extent, for military security. The dilapidated Köhlbrand Bridge, for example, the most important crossing within the port, is only of limited use for heavy transport. When and how it is rebuilt also influences the establishment of new companies in the port.
Against this background, this year's Hamburg Port Summit conference, a joint event by the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and the German Transport Science Society, took place on Friday at the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. More than 300 people from business, politics and administration took part. Many of the discussions have been similar for years - when it comes to determining needs, financing and implementing transport routes and infrastructure in Germany, progress is usually slow.
Increasingly, however, it seems to be becoming clear to the broader public that functional and efficient transport routes are vital for the entire country and society. The federal government generally only pays 38 million euros per year as a subsidy for the operation of all German seaports and now also three-digit million sums or more from the so-called “special funds” - but the port industry is demanding at least 500 million euros in basic financing per year and additional billions for specific projects.
The German port industry postulates a total investment requirement in seaside infrastructure of 15 billion euros. Wibke Mellwig, head of the waterways and shipping department at the Federal Ministry of Transport, described where the federal government is currently investing in the ports. However, she avoided any indication as to whether the so-called “burden equalization” for the seaports could be increased beyond the current figure of around 38 million euros.
As things stand today, around eight billion euros would have to be invested in the port of Hamburg alone, said Hamburg's Economics Senator Melanie Leonhard (SPD), referring to the Köhlbrand Bridge, for example: "The discussions in the city about whether we even need a new Köhlbrand Bridge are becoming fewer, and that is very helpful. The years-long debates about this were sometimes very painful."
The Köhlbrand Bridge, one of Hamburg's landmarks, connects the western and eastern parts of the harbor. Because of the strong increase in truck traffic in recent decades, it is so dilapidated that it can only continue to operate into the next decade with considerable effort from the HPA port administration - at the same time, it is still subject to severe restrictions, since this spring with a maximum weight limit of 44 tons for trucks. "This is an enormous blow for the Hamburg economy," said Rainer Fabian, President of the Port of Hamburg Business Association (UVHH). "When it comes to such heavy loads, it's about the project business, for example in plant construction. However, if heavy transport can no longer be transported through the port of Hamburg, the companies involved will relocate such projects completely to other ports."
The replacement for the Köhlbrand Bridge, which was inaugurated in 1974, will become a reference project for how the planning and implementation of such a large structure can be accelerated and how the interaction between the federal and state governments can be optimized. In the plenary session of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, for example, a proposal was recently approved to build a makeshift bridge as a temporary replacement for the Köhlbrand Bridge next to it, which would perhaps not require a lengthy planning approval process. “We are open to such a proposal,” said Chamber of Commerce Managing Director Malte Heyne. A total failure without an alternative for the Köhlbrand Bridge must be avoided in the coming years until a new bridge is available.
Senator for Economic Affairs Leonhard said: “There is a whole portfolio of ‘Plan Bs’, such as upgrading alternative routes, but our main focus is on upgrading the Köhlbrand Bridge and using it until a new bridge is available.” The economic authority is also examining the option of a temporary bridge, "but there are a number of obstacles. Ultimately, every bridge over the Köhlbrand needs around 30 traffic connecting structures."
From today's perspective, a new Köhlbrand Bridge will cost 4.4 to 5.3 billion euros. The federal government wants to play a significant role in this. It is still unclear exactly how much - and to what extent the planning and implementation of the new bridge can be simplified and accelerated by the Infrastructure Future Act that came into force in July. “We have a commitment from the federal government to participate in the financing, and we are already in the middle of planning,” said Leonhard. “We are doing everything we can to get this done by the end of the 2030s.”
At the same time, the city and the federal government are also pushing ahead with the planned A26 East motorway, which will connect the A7 and A1 motorways south of the port. The economic authority recently issued the supplementary planning decision for the first construction phase of the A26 East. A more in-depth examination of the possible routes by the highway company Deges became necessary after the environmental associations Nabu and BUND filed a lawsuit against the first construction phase of the A26 East at the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig.
Among other things, the associations want to prevent the motorway from running through a residual moor area south of the port. Following the order of the Federal Administrative Court, Deges had re-examined the possible routes from the perspective of climate protection - and once again decided on the route through the moor area. The environmental associations are now weighing up whether they will take legal action again in Leipzig.
Meanwhile, the Hamburg economy is also pushing for rapid implementation of the A26 East. “The A26 East and the Köhlbrand Bridge must under no circumstances be played off against each other,” said Chamber of Commerce General Manager Heyne. And Senator for Economic Affairs Leonhard said: "With the A26 East we will, among other things, get a second crossing over the Köhlbrand and the Elbe. This is also an enormous advantage from the point of view of resilience in the transport system and military security."
