Fierce debate over Berlin's crumbling bridges: Is the black-red coalition collapsing over transport policy?

It's been a ritual in the Berlin House of Representatives for more than two years. Speakers from the Greens and the Left Party regularly remind their SPD colleagues that a majority other than the conservative-red coalition in the Berlin state parliament is possible: a red-green-red coalition. Just as they had previously worked together for six and a half years.

Now, it seems as if a growing number of voices within the SPD are not only imagining a reversal, but are already playing out such scenarios. What if the SPD terminates the coalition at the end of the year, in what are expected to be another tough budget negotiations, and throws the pieces at the CDU's feet?

Berlin: Does SPD man Raed Saleh want to break up the coalition?

After that, an SPD candidate from the Left and Green parties could seek election as Governing Mayor in the House of Representatives. Given the current situation, this could only be parliamentary group leader Raed Saleh , who, as a shrewd power broker, is still considered the driving force behind the deliberations. After his election in parliament, the plan was to hold early elections in which the new coalition would be confirmed by Berlin voters.

The plans are controversial within the SPD; nothing is easy, and the risks are high. But there are rifts within the black-red coalition, which was never a love match, but primarily a reaction to the surprisingly decisive victory of Kai Wegner's CDU in the 2023 repeat election . Back then, the CDU had virtually a free choice between the red and the green parties. The fact that it ultimately ended up with the SPD had more to do with a lack of cultural affinity between the CDU and the Greens than with any policy.

The current differences of opinion between the conservative and the red coalition have been particularly sharp in transport policy for months, precisely the policy area that was already the main source of contention in the previous coalition – back then between the Greens and the SPD. While the green, Bullerbü dreams of Transport Senator Bettina Jarasch drove the Social Democrats to the barricades, it is currently bollards, a lack of bus lanes, and the planned abolition of many 30 km/h speed limits on Berlin's streets that are dividing the Social Democrats and Christian Democrats.

Already on Wednesday, there was a dispute over bollards in the Transport Committee. The SPD supports them in several neighborhoods, while the CDU is generally against them. On Thursday, the plenary session of the House of Representatives addressed Berlin's handling of crumbling bridges.

The CDU wanted to celebrate the successes of the Senate Transport Administration, which it led, in dealing with Berlin's dilapidated bridges. A situation that the current transport administration inherited from its predecessors of recent decades, who were primarily known for their inaction in this area at the expense of the endangered infrastructure. And since 1999, they belonged exclusively to the SPD and the Greens.

As we all know, things are getting tough in the last few months. First, the Ringbahn and Westend bridges of the A100 motorway had to be demolished, and most recently, the Wuhlheide Bridge in Köpenick. The work was carried out at a rapid pace, with the immediate danger of collapse.

In the middle of this parliamentary debate, in which Transport Senator Ute Bonde (CDU) wanted to praise her administration's speed of demolition, reports have now emerged about another possibly dilapidated bridge on the city's motorway.

Berlin's crumbling bridges: For months things have been getting tough

Media reports indicate that damaged areas were discovered on the bridge over the Detmolder Straße exit last week. Since then, the right lane has been closed in both directions. Since Wednesday morning, only vehicles up to 3.5 tons are permitted on the bridge.

It goes on to say that the bridge was already listed by the Federal Highway Research Institute in 2010 as "bridges requiring urgent investigation" – along with the Ringbahn and Westend Bridges. All of these bridges date back to the 1960s and are made of prestressed concrete. Once a preferred construction material, many structures now exhibit cracks, and their stability is deteriorating.

Berlin: 120 bridges are dilapidated, costing one billion euros

During the parliamentary debate, Transport Senator Bonde promised more speed in the renovation and construction of bridges. "The stability and durability of our bridges and our engineering structures can no longer be fully guaranteed," she said. Over the next ten years, 120 Berlin bridges will need to be replaced or renovated. She estimated the costs at approximately one billion euros.

The situation is the result of decades of neglect, misplaced priorities, and a growing city in which infrastructure expansion has been unable to keep pace, said the CDU politician . "We as the Senate are aware of the problems and are tackling them with commitment." A "Bridge Master Plan" with numerous projects will be presented this summer. Furthermore, the Senate has already ensured that planning and implementation processes for new bridge construction are significantly accelerated, so that projects will be completed two to three years faster in the future than before.

Tino Schopf's speech was noteworthy in this context. The SPD transport politician praised the experts in Bonde's administration for the unusually rapid pace of work on bridges for Berlin. Otherwise, he had little to say about the senator, noting that he lacked a forward-looking transport policy. And more generally, Schopf stated: "It's no secret that we disagree on very important issues of mobility policy."

In conclusion, the SPD politician cited a line by Kai Wegner. The head of government had quoted him quite early in his term: "Doing is like wanting. Only more extreme. Let's just do it extreme." On Thursday, Schopf addressed Senator Bonde directly: "Let's just do it really extreme." While he was assured of applause from large sections of his own ranks, the CDU didn't budge.

In Berlin, not only bridges are crumbling, but also the black-red coalition

Now, Berlin's crumbling bridges certainly won't bring down a relatively accident-free state government, but they certainly serve as a snide remark. Antje Kapek, an influential Green Party MP with a current expertise in transport policy , doesn't miss such proposals. In light of the strained relationship between the conservative and red coalitions, she described the CDU as having a "deeply antisocial transport policy." There is "no cooperation; this is an escalation of antagonism, and that endangers the safety of our city," Kapek said. And, addressing the SPD: "Dear Social Democrats – finally put an end to this misery!"

And Left Party transport politician Kristian Ronneburg also addressed the SPD bench directly: "Dear SPD, we could form other majorities. There are alternatives to this transport policy rollback." Everyone in the plenary understood that he was referring to a supposed step backwards promoted by the CDU.