The state of the German infrastructure

Dear readers, While riding my bicycle on the way to Bauverlag, my smartwatch vibrated, showing me the newsflash of a news service: “Carola Bridge in Dresden collapses!” This event, of course, later also immediately became the topic at the BFT editorial office, which went from there directly to the general question: “What’s the matter with Germany’s infrastructure?” The dilapidated state of many structures in Germany is as well-known, as is the lack of housing. For years, experts have been calling for extensive investments in infrastructure. The reasons for the critical situation include lack of money, bureaucratic backlog, austerity measures and civil protests. Based on the assessments of leading economists, the need for investment in Germany stands at around 600 billion euros over the coming ten years. When looking, for example, at the partial collapse of the Carola Bridge – the cause of which is probably corrosion – the poor condition of the infrastructure has not only economic consequences, but public safety as well. Fortunately, nobody was injured in this case.  

Precast elements, due to their durability, load-carrying capacity and sustainability, are indispensable for constructing the infrastructure. Well-thought-out solutions are urgently needed for meeting the complex challenges of our time. Ongoing further development of time-tested methods and innovations implemented in practice continue to extend application of concrete, our construction material. And we, the team of BFT International, are looking forward to reporting on many successfully completed and inspirational infrastructure projects.

Much enjoyment in reading the current BFT International.