Hamburg exceeds the costs of around one in three large construction projects. This emerges from the latest Senate report, in which the authorities give an account of their construction projects.
The city is a major investor in construction projects: it has currently placed or is preparing orders worth around eight billion euros. According to the Senate, only a good 60 percent are on schedule. On the other hand, the list of projects that will become significantly more expensive is long.
AUDIO: Cost explosions in construction projects (1 min)
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Expensive Oberhafen tunnel
One example is the so-called Oberhafen tunnel for pedestrians and cyclists, which is planned under the railroad tracks at HafenCity University. Even before the groundbreaking ceremony, the costs rose by more than half – to 24 million euros.
Town hall, research center and philosophy tower also affected
The barrier-free renovation of the town hall will be a fifth more expensive. Similarly, the plus in the construction of laboratories for start-ups that are to settle at the DESY research center in Bahrenfeld. When the university’s Philophenturm tower is being renovated, the traffic light is also red: the Senate there no longer even gives an exact amount.
Corona also leads to higher costs
The reasons for the cost increases are varied. In 2020, the corona pandemic also indirectly made some things more expensive. On construction sites like the Philiophenturm, for example, the workers suddenly had to keep their distance, which made the work more difficult. In addition, because of a boom in construction, many companies are currently practically able to choose their contracts, sometimes more money is charged for tenders than the planners had estimated.
New rules after the construction of the Elbphilharmonie
Hamburg introduced the rules for cost-stable construction in 2012 – after the financial disaster of the Elbphilharmonie. Compared to the two previous years, the city has taken a step backwards.
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