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According to experts, the defects on the noise barrier on Autobahn 3, which have been known for years, should have been remedied immediately.

Until it was removed, the section of the motorway near Cologne should not have been opened to traffic, criticized the President of the North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Engineers, Heinrich Bökamp, ​​on Thursday.

Around two weeks ago, a woman driver was killed by a concrete slab that had come loose from the noise barrier.

The Landesbetrieb Straßen.NRW announced on Wednesday evening that the poor construction of noise barriers was known as early as 2008.

In the acceptance protocol, "the improvised construction was listed as a defect and was only accepted subject to static evidence," explained Straßen.NRW.

This evidence was "not provided despite repeated requests".

The construction company is now insolvent.

On the question of why the deficiency was ultimately not remedied, a spokesman for the higher NRW Ministry of Transport did not want to comment on the ongoing investigations by the public prosecutor's office.

The Cologne public prosecutor's office now wants to wait for the result of their report, which will be available in a few weeks.

"We continue to investigate in all directions against unknowns," said a spokesman.

The findings of Straßen.NRW flowed into the investigation.

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According to the announcement, Chamber President Bökamp said that a building inspection required that identified deficits that impair stability are also remedied.

Only then may the acceptance and release for traffic take place.

The ADAC mobility expert, Roman Suthold, also expressed incomprehension.

"You can only shake your head that it was apparently not kept in mind after 2008," he told the dpa.

By leaving the construction company out of responsibility, Straßen.NRW have now made themselves liable.

According to its own information, the Ministry of Transport has commissioned an external expert to evaluate the procedures for acceptance tests and tests.

"This is to determine whether it is a chain of individual errors and omissions, or whether there is a general deficit in the processes of the state operations."

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Investigations after the accident had shown that the fallen concrete slab and six other slabs had been incorrectly attached during installation.

The state company reported at the time that it was “apparently deliberately improvised with welded angles for reasons of space”.

All plates have now been removed.

As Straßen.NRW announced on Wednesday, similar constructions with so-called facing shells were installed on another 25 sections on motorways, federal roads and state roads in NRW.

All noise protection panels are now subjected to a "hand-held visual inspection".

So far, however, there has been no indication of "similar non-compliant constructions."

According to the Ministry of Transport, the 25 sections include noise barriers on the A1 near Wuppertal-Langerfeld, the A44 near Düsseldorf, the A46 near Wuppertal and the A59 near Duisburg.

Because of the tests, individual lanes could be closed at short notice in the near future, said the ministry spokesman on Thursday.

In Düsseldorf, according to the city, concrete slabs are to be secured on the walls in the busy Rheinalleetunnel because damage was discovered during the current main inspection.

Due to the work, one lane will be closed outside of rush hour until mid-December.