Bonn traffic Koblenz Gate is passable in both directions again

Bonn · The Koblenz Gate is open again and traffic can now flow in both directions. The closure, which was urgently necessary due to construction work, had repeatedly caused traffic jams.

 The construction has ended at the Koblenz Gate.  It is now open in both directions.

The construction has ended at the Koblenz Gate. It is now open in both directions.

Foto: Benjamin Westhoff

Since Tuesday afternoon, the Koblenz Gate has been free again in both directions, north and south. To accommodate the construction of a new bridge under the Koblenz Gate, the northbound passage had been closed since February. Traffic was diverted from the Zweite Fährgasse via the banks of the Rhine and Rheingasse, causing daily traffic jams.

Now that the construction has been completed, work is continuing along the Rhine. There, the first two phases for upgrading and traffic calming have already been implemented during the year. In phase three in the southern section, between Zweiter and Erster Fährgasse and Erster Fährgasse and Rheingasse, two bicycle lanes will be installed. "Pedestrian and bicycle traffic will be promoted, and motor vehicle through-traffic will be prevented"; the city of Bonn announced.

Another step is that the provisional one-way street regulation in Rheingasse in the direction of the city center will be lifted. The fourth and final phase for the Rhine embankment involves the implementation of the winning design from a competition for the redesign of the Rhine embankment. It is an urban development project of the Master Plan 2.0 and is to be implemented in several construction phases starting at the end of 2023.

Incidents delayed construction work

Work on the Koblenz Gate was actually supposed to be completed in the summer, but the discovery of carcinogenic substances and coronavirus illnesses at the contractor's company delayed the project. So-called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were detected in exposed old sealing membranes. The material, often referred to as "tar," was used in road construction until the 1970s, but has since been banned because it is considered carcinogenic, explained the Bonn press office.

The fact that the gate, or rather its subsoil, had to be renovated at all is due to the cellar vault beneath it, which belongs to the university. One of three heating systems that supply the university with heat is located there. Stadtwerke Energie und Wasser (SWB) also installed a switching station in this underground vault. The catacombs were supported by heavy steel beams. Several years ago, it had already been noticed that the ceiling's statics were not at their best. "There was already a question of closing the doorway because of the statics. With the supporting steel girders, this could still be averted," explained university spokesman Andreas Archut. The aging load beam has now been removed and replaced by a composite structure made of steel and concrete.

Orig. text: Nicolas Ottersbach

Translation: ck

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