How fake figures are used to push through new road projects - the example of the B49 near Reiskirchen

At the end of 2025, a decision by the federal government made headlines: 23 additional roads are to be built - financed with funds that were actually earmarked for the renovation of roads and railways. Everyone involved in mobility issues and climate protection rubbed their eyes in amazement: Doesn't Germany already have too many roads, many of which are in poor condition, and too few intact railways? Haven't studies repeatedly shown that new roads only generate more car traffic? And what about the debate surrounding the completely dilapidated roads, railways, and bridges? Are all the warnings about climate change and broken infrastructure, as well as the clear warnings from the courts of auditors about maintenance costs that are no longer manageable, suddenly irrelevant?

A network of transport transition initiatives, lawyers, and transport planners has now completed a remarkable investigation in the district of Giessen and demonstrated how one of the 23 planned additional road construction projects was planned using completely fabricated figures and deliberate falsifications. Both in the underlying demand plans (including the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan) as well as in the planning approval process and the subsequent court proceedings following a lawsuit filed by a farmer and an environmental association, the Hessian Ministry of Transport, the executing authority Hessen Mobil, and the municipality of Reiskirchen, which supports the road construction, have operated with these falsifications and thus brought about positive decisions and court rulings. There is evidence on several points that the errors are not mistakes, but deliberate lies intended to push through the road construction project. For example, the traffic figures in the planning were almost twice as high as the authority's own counts. Interestingly, the lower figures were then used in the noise calculations in order to minimize the need for protective measures. Claims about the relief effect are also completely fabricated, even though the authorities' own surveys of travel destinations yielded completely different figures. Now those involved are asking: Is the B49 southern bypass Reiskirchen/Lindenstruth, as the project is called in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan, an isolated case? Or are lies and distortions constantly being used to push through economic and power interests? "The obvious falsifications in the planning process for the B49 give the impression that this is routine practice," says the initiative "Sanieren statt planieren" (Renovate instead of level). It is not only calling for the immediate cessation of the construction work that is currently beginning on the building project under investigation and has filed a lawsuit based on the falsifications in order to have the plan declared null and void, but also considers it necessary to conduct a nationwide review of all new construction projects for such falsifications. "Our B49 can serve as a prime example to make it clear that the environment and people are not only being harmed by constant new destruction, but that everything is being carried out using illegal methods." Notes for journalists: * The initiative is happy to make its research findings available and is available for inquiries, interviews, or the writing of appropriate texts.
* An overview of the problems and falsifications surrounding the new B49 construction can be found under the title "B49 southern bypass Reiskirchen: A well-researched example of failed transport policy." * Main pages on the new B49 construction, the figures, lawsuits, route and protests: https://b49.siehe.website ++ The photos on these pages may be used freely (CC) - high-resolution files can be obtained by clicking on the photos. * Road construction in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan: http://www.bvwp-projekte.de/strasse/B49-G10-HE-T1-HE/B49-G10-HE-T1-HE.html

Projektwerkstatt
Ludwigstr. 11
35447 Reiskirchen
Germany

Herr Joerg Bergstedt
06401-903283

saasen@projektwerkstatt.de

This text comes from the Projektwerkstatt, an open house with many creative spaces, libraries, and group rooms. Various politically active groups meet here, including those working on the transport transition.

This release was published on openPR.