Even before presenting a plan on Wednesday for his government, Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, persuaded Parliament to bypass constitutional limits to let him spend more on Germany’s military.
This led observers to point out that any new German tank would have a hard time crossing a German bridge.
The country once vaunted for its industrial prowess, high-speed autobahn and endless efficiency is falling apart.
Wary of debt, past governments chronically underinvested in infrastructure for decades. But the lifting of Germany’s debt brake, as the constitutional spending limits are known, will allow the new government to borrow 500 billion euros (about $556 billion) for infrastructure over 12 years.
Of that, €200 billion will go to states and a special climate fund. But Mr. Merz’s Christian Democrats and the Social Democratic coalition partners will be able to invest some €150 billion directly on infrastructure projects before their term ends in 2029.
They have also committed to speeding up planning, permitting and the tender process. The specifics of where that coalition allocation will go has yet to be determined. But the new government hopes the projects will not only stimulate the economy, but also put it on better footing for the long term.
The shopping list is long. Here’s a look at some areas where some of the infrastructure billions may be spent.
Falling Bridges
Many of Germany’s roads and bridges were built cheaply and quickly during the economic boom years after World War II. Much of that infrastructure is crumbling, sometimes quietly and sometimes spectacularly — part of a major bridge in Dresden crashed into the river in September.
The AVUS, on the western edge of Berlin, opened in 1921 as an automobile racetrack. It was the forerunner of the modern German autobahn and is now integrated into the city’s highway system.
By some measures, it was once the fastest road in Germany. Now, some consider it among the slowest.
Last month, engineers found a crack in part of a bridge on the highway that connects Berlin with the AVUS, forcing its closure and causing huge commuter delays.
Opened in 1963, when the country was still divided and West Berlin was an isolated political island, the bridge was designed for roughly 20,000 cars day. Before it was closed in March, it accommodated about five times as many.
The government says it will focus on fixing and upgrading existing infrastructure instead of on creating new roadways. It will also further develop a federally owned business that oversees the running and development of the autobahn, promising to offset the costs with tolls for trucks.
Late Trains
The punctuality of Germany’s national rail service has long been the butt of jokes. It has become so bad that operators have redefined what it means to be late.
That’s no joke.
A train is counted as on time even if it is up to six minutes late. Even so, last year was the worst year in two decades when it came to punctuality. Even counting by the more generous measure, 37.5 percent of long-distance trains arrived late, according to the national rail’s figures.
A spokesman for the national rail service attributed 80 percent of long-distance delays to infrastructure troubles.
Major projects to rebuild old tracks have already started, and more are planned. The national rail invested €17 billion last year and said it would upgrade the most used 4,000 kilometers, or 2,500 miles, of its rail network by 2030.
The new government plans to use the infrastructure fund to pay for a project that upgrades high-use rail corridors — speeding up existing plans — and focus digitalization of signals, switches and a European train control system, which will also facilitate integration of national rail systems.
Crumbling Schools
Falling windows, leaky toilets and collapsing roofs. Many schools are in dire need of repairs or upgrades.
At a high school in Berlin, strong gusts of wind have sent windows falling several stories into the schoolyard, where a wooden gangway now protects students so they can enter safely.
According to a studies by the KfW Bankengruppe, a German development bank, schools would need more than 55 billion euros just to pay for outstanding renovations.
Schools are generally financed by the states, and the federal government says it is committed to setting up an investment fund that will help states finance the expense of repairing and upgrading the physical buildings.
Many experts worry that any spending still faces stubborn obstacles, like the lack of trained workers and too much bureaucracy.
But Saskia Esken, one of the Social Democratic leaders who presented coalition plan on Wednesday, was hopeful.
She promised that the new money would allow the new government to tackle the backlog on repairs so that “plaster no longer crumbles from the ceilings in school.”
Melissa Eddy contributed reporting.
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