For cyclists and pedestrians Cologne gets two new Rhine bridges
Cologne · Seven bridges connect Cologne's sides of the Rhine. Two new bridges especially for cyclists and pedestrians are to be added. The city of Cologne has now launched a competition for this.
A leisurely stroll across the Rhine from the Bastei to the Rheinpark or a few minutes' cycle from the Ubierring to the Deutzer Hafen - this should be possible in Cologne in the near future. The city is currently planning two new Rhine bridges for the cathedral city. In contrast to the existing bridges, however, the two new structures are to be reserved for pedestrians and cyclists only. "With two more bridges, we want to improve the attractiveness of the footpath and cycle path connections," it says on the city of Cologne's website.
The city launched the Europe-wide award procedure on Monday. This is an open competition in which interdisciplinary planning teams of architects and engineers can apply for one or both bridge designs. Eight teams will then be selected per bridge site to prepare designs. A panel of planning and construction experts as well as representatives of the technical committees will select four of these teams, which will be allowed to further elaborate their designs and finally submit a final fee offer. The city estimates that the award procedure will take about a year. The city expects to award the design contracts at the end of 2024.
The northern of the two bridges is to be built between Zoobrücke and Hohenzollernbrücke and will connect the left bank of the Rhine at the level of the former Bastei observation restaurant with the Rhine Park on the right bank. The second bridge is planned between Severinsbrücke and Südbrücke. It will connect the new Deutzer Hafen district on the right bank of the Rhine to the inner city on the left bank. Each bridge is to be about 600 metres long and eight metres wide.
Rhine bridge for tram line 17 and Rhine link 553
Currently, seven bridges connect Cologne's districts on the left and right bank of the Rhine; two of them - the South Bridge and the Hohenzollern Bridge - are railway bridges, while the other five bridges are open to car traffic. With the exception of the Südbrücke, all of them also have footpaths and cycle paths. There is only one footpath on the Südbrücke. The Zoobrücke was the last bridge to be rebuilt in Cologne in November 1966.
The two new bridges are not the only new construction projects on the Rhine. Two more Rhine crossings are to be built south of Cologne. A new bridge is to be built for the new city railway line 17 between Cologne, Niederkassel and Bonn. It will start on the left bank of the Rhine north of Godorf harbour and end on the right bank south of Langel. Pedestrians and cyclists will also be able to use the new bridge.
The second crossing is to run underground. The preferred variant for the "Rheinspange 553" project has been decided since the beginning of February: a tunnel under the Rhine is to connect the 555 and 59 motorways between Wesseling-Urfeld and Troisdorf-Spich. The project is currently with the Federal Highway Authority, which is determining the route in a so-called line-determination procedure. Only then does the project enter the design planning phase.
(Original text: Sabrina Bauer; Translation: Mareike Graepel)
