Overview
- The two ministers, who testified on Monday, June 29, 2026, faced questions about decisions that led the Landesbetrieb Straßen.NRW to cancel the Porr general‑contractor deal for the Leverkusen Rheinbrücke in April 2020.
- Investigators are focused on specific technical failures: large numbers of steel components made in China showed systematic defects that the ministry and the authority said could not be fixed to meet the contract standard.
- The dispute is now a large court case at the Landgericht Köln where the Federal Republic claims more than €350 million and Porr seeks over €200 million with some estimates of total exposure including interest near €1 billion; a Gütetermin and hearing are set for October 16, 2026.
- Responsibility lines are under scrutiny because the Autobahn GmbH des Bundes took over federal motorway planning and construction in 2021, which complicates who bore operational and legal control after the contract was ended.
- Beyond the legal fight the inquiry ties the Leverkusen case to a wider maintenance shortfall highlighted by the Rahmedetal/A45 collapse and recent local closures, with possible practical fallout for commuters, public budgets, and political accountability ahead of state elections.