Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - The disaster surrounding the closure of the dilapidated A45 viaduct Rahmede is to be dealt with in a committee of inquiry in the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament. According to an SPD parliamentary group spokesman, the opposition factions of the SPD and FDP decided on Tuesday to apply for the establishment of the committee. The committee should also deal with the bridge infrastructure in North Rhine-Westphalia. The state parliament is expected to vote on the appointment decision in the plenary session in March.
The Rahmedetalbrücke had to be closed in December 2021 due to damage - a route that is important for nationwide traffic has since been interrupted, and the detour traffic is a burden on an entire region. It was known beforehand that there were defects, but tests in around 2017 and 2020 had not revealed any impairment of stability.
Today's Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst (CDU), was NRW Minister of Transport from 2017 to October 2021. Among other things, the opposition wants to find out whether Wüst is responsible for the traffic disaster. Wüst had denied personal failings from his tenure as minister.
The SPD and FDP parliamentary groups far exceed the quorum required for setting up the committee of inquiry by one fifth of the members of the state parliament. The appointment of the committee is therefore considered certain. The AfD had already applied for a U-committee on the Rahmedetalbrücke.
