Traffic chaos in Cologne: demolition of the Idiot Bridge causes traffic jams!

Traffic chaos in Cologne: demolition of the Idiot Bridge causes traffic jams!

Yesterday, August 12th, 2025, the construction work on the famous Idiotenbrücke in Cologne caused a huge stir in traffic. The 110-year-old bridge, located between Krefelder Straße and Hornstraße, will be completely replaced. This led to significant traffic delays on Inner Kanalstrasse, which was closed to traffic from Friday evening until 5 a.m. Monday morning. Drivers had to prepare for long traffic jams from Niehler Straße on Saturday morning. The detour via Hartwichstrasse and Zonser Strasse in Nippes didn't make the situation any better - here it was chaotic and you had to be patient.

How ksta.de According to reports, the Inner Canal Road is expected to be closed again next weekend. Deutsche Bahn began the initial preparatory work for the construction of the new railway bridge on Inner Kanalstrasse months ago. The reason for replacing the old bridge is the varying headroom of two to almost five meters, which makes renovation impossible. Therefore, new construction costs of around 13.5 million euros are now expected.

The challenges of traffic

The situation is well known: Despite all caution, trucks repeatedly got stuck under the old bridge. This makes it clear that it was time to lend a hand. Road traffic is not the only thing affected - rail traffic is also being restricted. The railway line between Hansaring and Nippes will remain impassable from August 8th to 29th, and a replacement rail service will be set up between Cologne Central Station and the Geldernstrasse/Parkgurtel stop, as wdr.de reported.

In the meantime, pedestrian and cyclist traffic will remain restricted until September. The main work on the new bridge is scheduled to be completed by the end of August, with smaller remaining works lasting until the end of the year. However, there is some positive news: the new bridge has a more continuous clearance height of 4.50 meters and does away with the round arches at the edges, which should further improve the traffic situation.

A larger context

A look at the entire transport infrastructure in Germany shows that these measures are not an isolated case. With around 40,300 bridges, often built between 1960 and 1985, the entire transport infrastructure is under pressure. The increasing demands of heavy traffic, especially in transit traffic, and the aging condition of the bridges make comprehensive maintenance and modernization measures necessary, such as: bmv.de confirmed. The bridge renovations are a central point in Deutsche Bahn's S3 renovation program, which aims to improve the punctuality and reliability of the railway.

A total of four more bridges in Cologne city center are on the list to be demolished and rebuilt by the end of 2029. The goal is an efficient transport infrastructure that meets the needs of the growing city and makes traffic safer - there is something to be done and the first measures are already in full swing.