With the Infrastructure for the Future Act now passed by the Bundestag, eight key projects for East Brandenburg – which the East Brandenburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce has long championed – have also been set in motion.
“We very much welcome the fact that politicians have finally given the green light to these construction projects. These eight projects are essential building blocks for a future-proof and competitive transport infrastructure in our region,” explains Monique Zweig, Chief Executive of the East Brandenburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce. “We have been pushing for these projects for years using the resources at our disposal – for example, through the work of the Transport Committee, which brings together the expertise of local businesspeople.”
Specifically, the following measures are involved: the upgrading of the Ostbahn on the Berlin – Küstrin-Kietz – Polish border section; the replacement of the bridge over the Mühlenfließ in the Rüdersdorf – Erkner on the A10, the upgrading of the A10 between Erkner and Freienbrink, the upgrading of the A12 at the Spreeau junction – Frankfurt (Oder), the B 112 Neuzelle bypass, the B 112 Eisenhüttenstadt bypass, the B 167 Finowfurt bypass and the B 167 Eberswalde bypass.
Although the Future Infrastructure Act does not specify fixed construction dates for individual projects, it does make it possible to significantly speed up the planning and approval processes.
From the perspective of the East Brandenburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK Ostbrandenburg), the inclusion of the expansion of the Ostbahn in the Act is a particular success. This demonstrates that federal policymakers also recognise the great importance of East Brandenburg as a European transport hub. East Brandenburg’s transport infrastructure is indispensable not only for linking the Berlin conurbation with Poland, but also, far beyond that, for pan-European goods flows.
At the A12 border crossing near Frankfurt (Oder) alone, for example, over 3.5 million toll-paying vehicles are recorded each year.
Background information
The East Brandenburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce is the largest organisation representing the interests of the business community between Schwedt and Eisenhüttenstadt, and between Berlin and the River Oder.