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HOCHTIEF completes first A1 Rhine bridge

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Bottleneck resolved—traffic can flow again from Sunday

With the opening of the first Rhine bridge on the A1 highway in Leverkusen next Sunday, traffic on the busy route section can ease. A total of six lanes will then be available in both directions. “We are delighted to have contributed to solving this major bottleneck”, says HOCHTIEF CEO Juan Santamaría.

The opening also means free passage for trucks again. Heavy goods vehicles were not allowed to cross the Rhine due to the dilapidated condition of the old bridge. On behalf of Autobahn GmbH, HOCHTIEF has spent the past three years working with a steel construction consortium led by SEH Engineering to complete the new bridge, which is around one kilometer long. In the past few weeks, final connection work has been carried out.

HOCHTIEF and SEH Engineering will soon begin to dismantle the old Rhine bridge and, together with partners, build the second new bridge on the same site. This should be completed by the end of 2027. Traffic will then be able to flow on four lanes in both directions.

The A1 link between Cologne and Leverkusen is an important artery for heavy goods traffic and is of supra-regional importance for the economy as well as for commuter and tourist traffic in Germany.