Roadworks on the A565 Not all accept detours at the Endenicher Ei
Bonn · Local residents and citizens gathered at the Harmonie in Bonn to find out about the construction site at the Endenicher Ei. They will have to live with detours until 2027. This has been met with criticism, especially as further closures will follow.
Roadworks are a necessary evil. At least that's the view of Franz Hübner, who took part in an information event organised by Autobahn GmbH at the Endenicher Harmonie on Monday evening. The location was deliberately chosen in the immediate vicinity of the ongoing major construction site at the Endenicher Ei in order to reach local residents in particular. Hübner, who lives on Brucknerstrasse, is one of them. "For me, it has already become inconvenient due to the closure of the one footpath and cycle path," he said. This is because he has to pass through an additional set of traffic lights and subway the dark and uncomfortable subway to get to the centre of Endenich. But Hübner thinks so: That's just the way it is. Conversely, at least the number of car lanes has been preserved, which largely saves the 54-year-old commuter "agonising traffic jams“.
Information at several stands
Others certainly see room for improvement in the situation. For Marianne von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff, who relies on a walking aid, walking through the subway means a significant diversions, not only in metres but also in time, in order to reach Bauhaus (formerly Knauber) and the supermarkets in Endenicher Straße. So she asked the simple question: "How do I get from Burggraben to Endenicher Straße?" The format of Autobahn GmbH was not a discussion forum with speeches and debate. Instead, employees provided information on noise, traffic and the construction project itself at individual themed stands.
However, motorway spokesman Helge Wego and the other parties involved in the project assured the citizens who attended that they would also include their suggestions in the joint discussions with the city. After all, the city is the organising authority for the traffic routing. A mother and her daughter reported on the sidelines that travelling to the school bus or cycling via a signposted diversion did take extra time. The construction site noise, which is scheduled to end at 10 pm, is clearly audible. The mum said: "The cars have been given their space, but no good solution has been found for cyclists and pedestrians." After all, according to the plans of Autobahn GmbH, the current situation will last until the end of 2024. This will be followed by closures on the other side of the bridge. Residents will therefore have to deal with these and similar disruptions until 2027.
First full closures in February
There will also be full road closures during this time. The first will be on the A565 under the Endenicher Ei motorway bridge from 23 February to 2 March and on the B56 over the distributor from 23 to 27 February. Others are expected to follow in July, September and November. It is not yet clear whether there will be any short-term changes to the traffic routing for cyclists and pedestrians. ADFC and the association Fuß e.V have suggested that the outer lane currently reserved for cars in the direction of the city centre be designated as an extension of the environmental lane for buses and cyclists. According to Autobahn GmbH, 15,634 vehicles were measured on the B56 in the direction of the city centre in November 2018 and 16,848 vehicles in the direction of Duisdorf within 24 hours.
Demolition and construction of the Endenicher Eis will take place in various stages. First, the south bridge (towards Poppelsdorf) will be demolished and rebuilt, then the north bridge (towards Tannenbusch) followed by the centre section of the bridge.
(Orig. text: Phillipp Königs / Translation: Mareike Graepel)
