The reconstruction of the aachen interchange is one of the largest projects of its kind in germany. By the end of 2021, the federal autobahn gmbh intends to transform the interchange into an efficient hub for european east-west traffic.
Originally, a shorter construction period was planned for the reconstruction. The project was thwarted by the so-called "uberflieger" bridge, which carries A4 traffic from the Netherlands over the A544. The structure should have lasted another 20 years, but roads are being rebuilt.NRW discovered during investigations that the bridge was more severely damaged than expected. Now this bridge has also been rebuilt. The project, originally costing 75 million euros, now includes 91 million euros for, among other things, six bridge replacements and four new bridge constructions. Construction work on the interchange is expected to be completed by 2021. To improve the performance of the interchange, noise barriers will be installed on adjacent sections of the A4 highway to the Netherlands by 2023 and the A44 toward dusseldorf will be widened to 6 lanes.
Today, 260 vehicles travel daily.000 vehicles through the interchange, in ten years traffic experts expect 345.000 per day. The new interchange will have up to 17 lanes side by side in its final stage. The reconstruction of the intersection will be carried out "under traffic": all "traffic relations" will be maintained can in principle also be used during this time – albeit temporarily on narrower lanes and of course at reduced speeds.
Currently
A544: only one lane between wurselen and aachen-rothe erde in the direction of europaplatz
A44 : completion of signposting at the aachen – brand junction in january
The final signage work at the aachen-brand junction of the A44, initially planned for the current week, will now only be carried out from Monday 17 to 17 June.01. By friday 21.01.2022. Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., there will be isolated lane and hard shoulder closures in both directions during this period, especially in the area of the on-ramps and off-ramps . The delay was caused by capacity bottlenecks at the contractor’s site. The signposting work represents the completion of the construction work there.
A4: bottlenecks between aachen-laurensberg and aachen-center
On the A4, the autobahn gmbh rheinland will divert traffic from Wednesday 08.12.2021 between the interchanges aachen-laurensberg and aachen-zentrum, the left lane in the direction of cologne is transferred to the opposite lane (FR niederlande) over a distance of 1.3 km. T he installation of the traffic routing will take several days, as the median crossings will also have to be repaired. Work is also heavily dependent on weather conditions. Therefore, already from di. ( 30.11.) Obstructions due to lane reductions in both directions to be expected. completion of the entire work is expected in july 2022.
Background: along the A4 in the direction of cologne, autobahn gmbh rheinland is building a noise barrier up to five meters high between the L244 (soerser Weg) and the river "wurm" over a length of around 400 meters and is also renovating the existing drainage system.
Ceremonial opening of the reconstruction of the aachen interchange – ideally equipped to handle future traffic
One of the most important intersections for european transit traffic has been officially opened to traffic after a construction period of around 12 years. With a total of up to 17 lanes, the aachen interchange, which has now been completed, is intended to ensure the smooth flow of traffic on the west-east link between the netherlands and cologne (A 4) and the north-south route dusseldorf-belgium (A 44) ensure. In addition, the connection aachen rothe erde – AC-europaplatz (A 544) in the interchange a further component of the five-armed junction.
ribbon-cutting ceremony for the official opening of the aachen interchange: (v.L.) thomas ganz, branch director rhineland of autobahn gmbh, claudia moll mdb, catarina dos santos mdb, dr. Stefan krause, head of the federal trunk roads department in the federal ministry of transport and digital infrastructure, ina brandes, NRW minister of transport, stephan krenz, chairman of the management board of autobahn gmbh, dr. Tim gruttemeier, city councillor aachen and roger nieben, mayor of the city of wurselen.
"with the opening of the interchange, we are eliminating the points of conflict in the interlinked areas and ensuring a better flow of traffic and greater traffic safety. the five-arm aachen interchange is an efficient hub in european east-west traffic and of major importance for the economy in the entire region. the federal government has implemented this project with a total investment of around 152 million euros," said enak ferlemann, parliamentary state secretary to the federal minister of transport and digital infrastructure, on the occasion of road clearance.
"good news for all commuters, travelers and truck drivers: the necessary expansion of the aachen interchange has finally been completed," says ina brandes, minister of transport for the state of north rhine-westphalia. "this means shorter travel times, greater traffic safety and faster transport of goods via the neuralgic junction between germany, belgium and the netherlands. With its direct link to our european neighbors, the autobahn interchange plays a key role in north rhine-Westphalia’s dense long-distance road network."
"we have made the aachen interchange fit for the challenges of the future," explained stephan krenz, chairman of the management board of the federal autobahn gmbh at the official opening ceremony. "where as recently as 2000, around 140.000 vehicles passed through the cross, today there are already 180.000 per day. That’s about 30 percent more vehicles within 20 years – and the trend is upward," krenz emphasized. "truck traffic in the direction of cologne and dusseldorf alone has increased by around 50 percent in the last ten years."
The reconstruction of the aachen interchange is one of the largest construction projects of its kind in germany. The project comprises six bridge replacements and four new bridge constructions, including the flyover bridge, which forms the fifth arm of the interchange. In order to cope with the traffic on this important european route with its high proportion of trucks, the main bridge was lengthened and widened as part of the six-lane expansion project.
The A4 is one of the most important links between the conurbations in North Rhine-Westphalia, Thuringia and Saxony, particularly for heavy goods traffic. From a european perspective, it is also important as part of the E40, which runs from france through the netherlands, belgium and neighboring eastern european countries to belarus.