Pirna Bridge Cost Jumps Eightfold to €288M After 20-Year Delay
Velburg – October 29, 2026 -- The new bridge near Pirna, Germany, now costs about €288 million, up from an original €36 million. That is an eightfold increase, which construction cost expert Peter Burnickl attributes mainly to a delay of more than 20 years.
Inflation and energy costs compound over decades of delay
Burnickl, managing director of Pro Bauherr GmbH and a registered expert witness for construction costs and building services, says such overruns rarely trace back to a single error. In his analysis, a chain of problems drives them. Inflation, rising material prices and higher energy costs make building more expensive every year. A cost estimate drawn up decades earlier can become entirely unrealistic.
He also cites possible planning errors, late changes and poor coordination between trades as contributing factors.