Mülheim Bridge in Cologne: costs explode to 498 million euros!

Mülheim Bridge in Cologne: costs explode to 498 million euros!

The renovation of the Mülheim Bridge in Cologne will be more expensive and time-consuming than initially planned. The city of Cologne announced on June 12th that costs had increased by a whopping 196 million euros, bringing the total costs to an impressive 498 million euros. A sum of 302 million euros was originally estimated for the extensive work in September 2024, which was already considered optimistic at the time. It now turns out that the renovation is far more complex than initially assumed, and damage that has been discovered since construction work began is also contributing to the increase in costs and the extension of the construction period.

The Mülheim Bridge consists of four substructures: the dike bridge and the ramp on the right bank of the Rhine, both in operation since 1929, as well as the river bridge and the flood bridge, which were renewed in 1951 after the destruction in the Second World War. The original construction period of four years has now been extended to eleven years, so that the south side should be completed by the end of March 2026 at the latest. Traffic will then be moved to the renovated side before the north side is repaired. According to current status, this overall renovation will not be completed until the end of March 2028, which means a construction time extension of 15 months compared to the previously communicated opening to traffic at the end of 2026. The city of Cologne has obviously shown a good knack for complexity and the unforeseeable when planning.

Complex causes for the delays

A look at the background shows that damage and construction delays in large projects in Germany are not isolated cases. As Siam N. Dossi analyzes in detail, large projects are often characterized by cost overruns and time delays. Factors such as a lack of transparency in costs and unrealistic estimates at the start of the project play a decisive role. In addition, new legal regulations and greater participation by citizens lead to delays and even higher costs. The BER airport and the Stuttgart 21 project are prominent examples that illustrate the problem.

The city of Cologne has already reacted and plans to carry out more extensive inventory analyzes before building decisions are made in the future. This could help ensure that similar cases can be avoided in the future and that the renovation of the Mülheim Bridge does not become the next big horror story about German construction projects.

Added value despite disruptions

The renovation of the Mülheim Bridge also has an impact on traffic in the region. The bridge had to be completely closed again and again, which of course also affected the Cologne transport company. KVB lines 13 and 18 in particular experienced significant disruptions as a result of these construction measures. In order to inform the public about the progress of the work, the city of Cologne offered a guided tour on June 11th to inspect the partial structure on the right bank of the Rhine. The aim was to give citizens a better understanding of the demolition work and the associated duration of the renovation.

At first glance, the situation may seem frustrating, but the funds invested could benefit the Cologne transport hub and its residents in the long term once the measures have been successfully completed. With such large projects there is often a lot of responsibility in the air; Everyone involved has to have a lot of patience!