City explains why Hackerbrücke roadworks stood idle over the summer

Munich's building department has explained why the roadworks on the Hackerbrücke appeared to stand idle this summer. Its head, Dr Jeanne-Marie Ehbauer, set out the reasons in a written reply to CSU city councillor Veronika Mirlach, who submitted her question on 16 July 2026.

The councillor cited reports in the Abendzeitung newspaper. On 14 July the paper described the site as another traffic trap where, on busy days, queues could stretch back to Bayerstraße. It also reported a greenish-yellow pond with a toppled barrier lying in it, and no construction workers in sight. The CSU group said it generally supports the repairs to the bridge but that the sequence of events raised questions.

According to the reply, the traffic diversion on the bridge was set up from 17 June 2026. The road surface was restored and the barriers removed on 16 July. The work is part of preparations for a full refurbishment of the Hackerbrücke and its approach bridge, which the full city council approved on 17 December 2025. Before the work can be put out to tender, material samples must be taken from the structure to test for harmful substances.

On a limited section of the bridge, the asphalt was removed to about 1cm above the waterproofing layer. Initial tests showed that the sampled area was too small to give reliable results. The contractor reported that a larger area was needed once the first phase was finished. However, the site could not be enlarged straight away because of the traffic situation. An Abendzeitung report said a European Patent Office site on Landsberger Straße, which also extended into the carriageway, had been cleared late. Enlarging the work area would have required a new traffic layout and changes to the traffic lights. After consulting the city's Mobility Department, the building department concluded this was not possible, and the opened areas were filled in and reopened to traffic.

The department said the site stood idle because the sample results had to be reviewed with experts and the relevant specialist departments, including to decide whether more samples were needed. No further work can normally take place on site until that review is complete. Once the results were available, the department said it arranged for the site to be dismantled immediately. It explained that the actual layers and working space needed in an existing, and especially a historic, structure can only be partly determined before it is opened up. It added that work areas on public roads are kept to the minimum needed for safety.

Asked whether the site would have to be removed and set up again in October, as the Abendzeitung had reported, the department replied that the work had been carried out between 20 August and 5 September 2026, in agreement with the Mobility Department.