cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/39501469

The European Union is drawing up a $19.66 billion plan to overhaul its road, rail, and bridge networks to cut the time it would take to move tanks, troops, and military equipment across the continent in the event of war with Russia, said EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas in comments to the Financial Times on July 29.

The effort aims to reduce transit time from “weeks or months” to just “a matter of hours, maximum a matter of days,” Tzitzikostas said.

“We have old bridges that need to be upgraded. We have narrow bridges that need to be widened. And we have nonexistent bridges to be built,” Tzitzikostas warned, highlighting the current infrastructure’s inability to support heavy military machinery like tanks, which can weigh up to 70 tonnes—nearly double the load European roads and bridges are typically built for.

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