Investigating the tragic "Lüdenscheid bridge accident" is the focus of Frederick Cordes' current research.
The parliamentary investigative committee "Bridge disaster and infrastructure congestion" has been established to probe the closure of the A45 Rahmedetal bridge in North Rhine-Westphalia. The bridge, which has been shut since December 2021 and is scheduled for demolition on May 7, 2023, has caused significant disruption and raised questions about the maintenance and inspection regime prior to its closure.
The committee, constituted on Thursday, is focused on determining whether there were any ignored warning signs or a deliberate cover-up by Hendrik Wüst, the state’s Minister-President.
Some opposition party members and media have suggested that warning signals about the bridge's structural integrity might have been downplayed or ignored to avoid political fallout, potentially implicating Hendrik Wüst’s administration. The committee is examining inspection reports, internal communications, and decision-making processes to identify any negligence or attempts to conceal information.
Hendrik Wüst has stated his commitment to a transparent investigation and has denied any intentional cover-up. However, scrutiny continues, with the opposition factions of the SPD and FDP applying for the establishment of the committee in March 2023 to gain access to ministerial files and question witnesses.
Recent reports have also suggested that projects in CDU-leaning constituencies may have been deliberately prioritized at the expense of the Rahmedetal bridge rebuild project. The closure has caused chaos and loss of quality of life for the population in Lüdenscheid and the surrounding area, with an estimated 20,000 additional vehicles burdening the surrounding detour roads daily.
In January 2023, the WDR reported that emails indicating the urgency of the renovation had been deleted in the Wüst-led transport ministry. The committee, which includes members such as Frederick Cordes, will also be examining the general condition of the bridge infrastructure and why the then transport minister Hendrik Wüst did not act when the red-green state government and transport minister Mike Groschek decided on a bridge rebuild in 2015.
As of now, no publicly disclosed definitive proof confirms that Hendrik Wüst personally ignored indications or engaged in a cover-up, but the investigation remains ongoing. If the current Minister President and his ministry caused the crisis through a cover-up, it would be a huge scandal, according to the SPD. The committee aims to clarify these issues and determine if the closure could have been prevented.
- The parliamentary investigation committee, established to examine the A45 Rahmedetal bridge disaster, is delving into policy-and-legislation and politics, specifically investigating whether there were ignored warning signs or a deliberate cover-up by Hendrik Wüst, the state's Minister-President.
- War-and-conflicts, general-news, and the politics surrounding the A45 Rahmedetal bridge disaster are receiving extensive media coverage, as the investigative committee is also looking into allegations that projects in CDU-leaning constituencies might have been prioritized at the expense of the Rahmedetal bridge rebuild project, potentially implicating Hendrik Wüst’s administration.
