Since 4:20 p.m. on Monday afternoon, traffic on Hannover's Südschnellweg has been rolling over the new replacement bridge in Döhren. Dr Gero Hocker, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport, officially opened the replacement bridge on Südschnellweg in the presence of Transport Minister Olaf Lies (Lower Saxony Ministry of Economics, Transport, Construction and Digitalisation) and Timo Quander, President of the Niedersächsischen Landesbehörde für Straßenbau und Verkehr (Lower Saxony State Office for Road Construction and Transport). 22 months after the contract was awarded, the temporary structure, consisting of 18 individual bridges, was completed by the B3 Südschnellweg consortium.

Important milestone in the expansion of the Südschnellweg

Südschnellweg, one of the most important bypass roads in Hanover, is in urgent need of repair due to the condition of its bridges. The renovation work is one of the most demanding transport projects in Lower Saxony. Construction is currently underway on a 3.8-kilometre section of the B3 between the Landwehrkreisel roundabout and the railway bridges before the Seelhorster Kreuz junction. This includes, among other things, the construction of two new major bridges and a tunnel. In the future, road traffic is to be routed through this tunnel. The temporary bridge ensures the smooth flow of traffic until the tunnel is completed. The demolition of the old expressway bridge will begin in spring 2025. After that, construction work will start on the 1,100-metre-long road tunnel with ramp structures to pass under Hildesheimer Straße and Schützenallee.

The opening of the replacement bridge will significantly relieve traffic congestion during the construction project and create a modern, safe and reliable transport network for the Hannover region for the future.