Potholes Under the Road: Brandenburg’s Federal Highway B169 may be blocked for several months

The busy Federal Road B169, which runs from Catbus in Brandenburg to Bluen in Saxony, may be interrupted for a long time. Surprisingly, the state road administration announced last week that the lane between Seiftenberg and Seattles should be completely closed as traffic safety is no longer guaranteed.

“During inspections and technical drilling carried out by Lassitzer Bergba Verwaldungschelseft (LMPV), holes were found underneath and direct damage to the main road,” a report said. After that “immediate security and safety measures were ordered”.

This time there is talk of several months of work. As is often the case in this region, the problems are related to the former open-cast lignite mine. “Once upon a time, our grandparents did not work so carefully,” said LMBV spokeswoman Uwe Steinhuber: “However, during planned inspections at the former Muro and Setlits or Ills-Ost open cast mines, we found underground holes.”

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Directly under the main road is called the flow Old mining drainage path. It is a type of tunnel that is used to filter open cast mines. “The extension now discovered may have been injected into the ground in the 20s and 30s of the last century,” says Steinhuber.

Experts are now exploring the underground to find out how the safety of B169, which has now formed large cracks in the asphalt, can be ensured. It will take some time. Drivers coming from Cottabus must use the B96 via Kroschen and Freenhofen, then return to the B169 via Landstras 55 or A13.