Roadworks in Bonn Römerstraße is open again
Bonn · Römerstraße in Bonn has been open again in both directions since Monday. The surface layer is still missing. The works have been going on for seven years.
When works began seven years ago to repair Römerstraße in Bonn, the head of the civil engineering office, Peter Esch, probably did not realise he would one day call it the most chaotic construction site in Bonn. The section between Augustusring and Wachsbleibe alone was closed on one side for four years. The road has been open again to traffic in both directions since Monday but it is still a building site.
The construction workers were unable to lay the asphalt surface on this section last weekend as planned. The city said asphalt delivery problems were the cause. A runway was renewed at Cologne-Bonn airport at the weekend. It was said all local bitumen-mixing plants had been used for this purpose. The work is now scheduled for the weekend after next, 15 and 16 September. For this, however, the road will need to be closed again.
Parked cars disrupting traffic
The news that Römerstraße has re-opened has clearly not yet reached many drivers. It remained quite quiet on Monday with only a few people straying from the north into Römerstraße to then only proceed further at a stop-start because construction vehicles were blocking the road. Not only the road surface is missing: at the moment, various posts are also still being installed along the road. The city said these are signage and lighting posts and traffic lights.
“It would be good if the city would put up signs in front of Augustustring that Römerstraße has re-opened,” believes Stefan Schintz. He runs the third generation Schintz butcher’s shop on the corner of Römerstraße and Rosental. Like many other business owners along Römerstraße, he has also suffered a drastic reduction in sales. “I am therefore happy that the permanent roadworks are now at an end. I hope things will quickly return to normal.” The city is convinced of this: “Word will soon get around that the city bound side of Römerstraße is open again,” says deputy city spokesman Marc Hoffmann. Information signs are not common in such cases.
Various reasons for delay
The city has previously cited unknown cavities in the ground, pipes in unexpected places and archaeological finds among the reasons for the permanent delay in the works and the repeated postponement of the completion date. Although the final bill has not yet been issued, the head of the civil engineering office, Peter Esch, expects the calculated costs of 1.9 million Euros will be exceeded.
(Original text: Lisa Inhoffen / translation: kc)
