APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R00020011022-9
The DR is owned and operated by the government and is under control of the East German Ministry for Transport. The network is divided geographically into eight operating districts. In 1969 the DR's staff was about 300,000 personnel. Educational training of railroad employees is limited to the Dresden College of Transport, the only specialized technical college of its type in the country, and to technical schools operated by each district and the larger rail yards. Although various incentive measures helped to stabilize personnel totals, they have failed to attract or provide adequate numbers of trained technicians, and overall performance figures have not reflected projected goals.
D. Highways
As a short-haul carrier, highway transport is growing in importance to the East German economy. The government, through its rate-fixing power, has been discouraging shippers from using the railroads in other than long-haul operations while emphasizing the use of highway carriers for short hauls. As a consequence, a growing amount of the short-distance traffic traditionally handled by the railroads is being diverted to trucking services.
The highway network comprises about 21,650 miles of classified routes and 20,000 miles of unclassified minor roads. The classified system consists of 8,000 miles of state or national highways (Staatsstrassen) and 20,750 miles of district roads (Bezirksstrassen or Landstrassen). State highways include about 950 miles of autobahn (Autobahnen)—limited-access express highways. Highway density is greatest in the southern half of the country where the major industrial and manufacturing centers, urban areas, and mining and agricultural regions are located. The network of paved routes has been gradually increasing in total length as a result of newly constructed parallel roads and the modernization and extension of existing roads. The mileage of paved highways per square mile of area is 68:1 as compared with 33:1 in Poland, 47:1 in Czechoslovakia, and 90:1 in West Germany. The overall condition of the network ranges from poor to good.
There are several important international highway connections with West Germany, Czechoslovakia and Poland, but many border-crossing points are barricaded and sealed off for political reasons. Within the past few years, however, restrictions have been eased, and more crossings are being opened to traffic. Motor vehicles are carried on the rail ferries connecting East German Baltic ports with Denmark and Sweden.
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FIGURE 2. Major steel-girder bridge on the autobahn southeast of Zwickau (U/OU)
The autobahn, which are the best routes in the state highway network, generally consist of dual one-lane roadways that have 24-foot-wide concrete pavements and 8-foot shoulders and are separated by a 10- to 20-foot median strip. The median strip on some straight sections of these routes has been filled in and surfaced with concrete to provide potential landing areas for aircraft. The state highways (other than the autobahns) and district highways generally have surface widths of 14 to 24 feet and are mainly bituminous surfaced, but there are some stretches of cobblestone, crushed stone, stone block, or brick. Recent construction features surface widths of about 24 to 25 feet and on new construction, shoulders are generally 5 to 8 feet wide. Shoulders of older highways are generally inadequate to allow for offroad parking. Most minor roads are unpaved natural-surface routes serving hamlets, villages, and towns not connected to the state and district networks.
There are about 30,500 highway bridges, some 4,520 of which are on primary routes. Most bridges are in good condition. The 3,850-foot Hohenwarthe Bridge across the Elbe River on an autobahn northeast of Magdeburg, is the longest. The most common types are of steel, concrete, and masonry, and although recent construction favors concrete beams, steel bridges are still being built. Capacities range up to 80 short tons, but 100-ton capacities are planned in special instances. Most underpasses are on the state highways, including autobahns. There are no tunnels or ferries on the primary highways. A major steel bridge on an autobahn is shown in Figure 2.
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R00020011022-9
