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Motorway closure (symbolic image)
Photo: Jonas Walzberg / dpa
Due to a possible road washout, Autobahn 27 in the Hagen im Bremisch area in the Cuxhaven district has been completely closed in both directions. “Due to an unstable ditch culvert, there is a risk of the roadway subsiding,” said a statement from Autobahn GmbH. “Possibilities of a timely emergency renovation and a subsequent new building” are currently being examined.
How long the closure will last is still unclear, a police spokesman said on Wednesday afternoon. Traffic will be diverted between the Hagen im Bremisch and Uthlede junctions.
The highway maintenance department recently noticed a subsidence in the embankment area. An unscheduled inspection of the building was then commissioned. A steel vault was inspected, at the bottom of which the Grienenbergsmoorgraben flows under the motorway. "As the testing company discovered today, the steel has corroded so badly in some places that there is a risk of sagging," the statement said. The highway was then immediately closed to ensure the safety of road users.
The route closure on the A27 is causing significant disruption for all road users. Not only the busy commuter traffic, but also the truck delivery route to the ports is affected by the closure.
eru/dpa