Overview
- The first half of the €170 million replacement opened on December 22, carrying traffic on two narrowed lanes per direction at 80 km/h, with the first vehicles crossing at about 13:19.
- A ceremonial opening featured Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder and NRW Minister-President Hendrik Wüst, with calls to make this delivery pace the national norm.
- Officials attribute the speed to streamlined approvals, bonus incentives for contractors and sectional construction methods such as the taktschiebe approach.
- Only one bridge half is in service; construction of the second span continues with full completion targeted around the end of 2026.
- The closure forced roughly 20,000 vehicles a day onto local roads and is estimated to have cost regional businesses about €1.5 billion, prompting clear relief in Lüdenscheid and the Sauerland.