Road repairs begin on Monday 12 October on Salvador-Allende-Straße in Köpenick, in the south-east Berlin district of Treptow-Köpenick, and are expected to last until 4 November. According to the Berliner Morgenpost, drivers should expect long queues, because tram track work on a nearby bridge is happening at the same time.
What happened
The district authority, the Bezirksamt (district office), will resurface Salvador-Allende-Straße between its junctions with Fürstenwalder Damm and Friedrichshagener Straße. The Berliner Morgenpost quotes the Bezirksamt as saying that this stretch of carriageway has deep ruts and that the asphalt has been pushed out of shape at the sides.
The work will be done by the Straßen- und Grünflächenamt, the district’s roads and green spaces office, to keep the road safe. Crews will mill off the old surface and lay new asphalt while part of Salvador-Allende-Straße stays open (a Teilsperrung, or partial closure). Friedrichshagener Straße will at times be closed completely. The authority says diversions will be signposted.
The problem is not new. The Berliner Morgenpost first reported on the damage in July 2025. The worst spot is where drivers turn right from Salvador-Allende-Straße into Müggelseedamm. The newspaper says the ruts there are so deep that some drivers worry the underside of their car will scrape the road.
What it means for you
If you drive through Köpenick, plan for delays from Monday 12 October until about 4 November. The Bezirksamt advises drivers to avoid the area altogether where they can and to allow extra time for their journey. Salvador-Allende-Straße is one of the area’s main roads, so the Berliner Morgenpost expects long queues during the evening rush hour over the coming weeks.
The roadworks are not the only obstacle. The BVG, Berlin’s public transport company, is renewing the tram tracks on the Lange Brücke (Long Bridge) at the same time, and will later do the same at Köllnischer Platz, a square in the old town. The Berliner Morgenpost describes this bridge between Spindlersfeld and the Altstadt Köpenick (Köpenick old town) as a bottleneck and says it will remain a likely place for queues until 9 December, when the track work is due to finish.
Some practical points for residents:
- Drivers: expect lane restrictions on Salvador-Allende-Straße between Fürstenwalder Damm and Friedrichshagener Straße, and occasional full closures of Friedrichshagener Street. Follow the signposted diversions.
- Commuters: if you normally drive home through Köpenick in the evening, allow more time or find another route until early November.
- Pedestrians and cyclists: the Bezirksamt says the work will affect you only slightly.
- Anyone crossing the Lange Brücke: expect more delays there until 9 December because of the BVG track work.
What to watch next
This is a temporary fix. In 2025 the Bezirksamt told the Berliner Morgenpost that a grundhafter Vollausbau (a full reconstruction of the road down to its foundations) was planned for the section from the Salvador-Allende-Brücke to Brandenburgplatz. That project is not scheduled until 2031. Back then, the authority said it would bring forward a Deckensanierung, meaning a renewal of the top layer of the road, in the rutted areas as an interim measure. The work starting on Monday is that interim repair.
The two dates to watch are 4 November, when the resurfacing is expected to end, and 9 December, when the BVG plans to finish its track work on the Lange Brücke and at Köllnischer Platz. Either date could change, so check for updates before you travel through the area.
Source: Berliner Morgenpost
Sources
- Berliner Morgenpost: Ab Montag könnte es in Köpenick zu einem Verkehrschaos kommen, accessed 11 October 2026
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