Cologne among the top 3: These are the biggest congestion areas for 2022 in North Rhine-Westphalia
Cologne / Leverkusen –
In the new year, too, drivers will have to torment themselves through traffic jams in many parts of the North Rhine-Westphalian motorway network, which is over 2200 kilometers long. The Leverkusen traffic center of Autobahn GmbH has marked the construction sites with the highest risk of congestion at the neuralgic junctions (AS), motorway junctions (AK) and triangles (AD) for 2022.
Remarkable: The “Top 10” all have to do with the replacement or new construction of ailing bridges. According to the forecast, the bottleneck most prone to congestion will be the A1 between Volmarstein and the Kamen / Dortmund / Unna area, as in previous years. The metropolitan areas on the Ruhr and the Rhine are also hardest hit. Here are the expected congestion priorities for 2022:
A1 AS Volmarstein – motorway junction AK Kamen
In this section of the A1, the bridges Volmarstein – by mid-2022 – and Hengstey – by mid-2023 – will be rebuilt. Added to this is the construction of the Liedbachtal viaduct, which began last October, in the area of the Dortmund / Unna AK. There, the number of lanes in the direction of Bremen will be reduced from the current ten to six. In addition, the replacement of three structures between AS Kamen-Zentrum and AK Dortmund / Unna is planned from spring 2022.
A3 AD Cologne-Heumar
All bridge structures here must be replaced by 2029. Work on the replacement of the existing KVB bridge has already started. Since mid-October 2021, two narrowed lanes per direction of travel have been available at ramp A3 / A4. All four lanes were transferred to the lane in the direction of Frankfurt. This traffic routing is expected to continue until the end of 2022.
A45 AK Hagen – AK Olpe-Süd
The A45 between Lüdenscheid and Lüdenscheid-Nord is expected to remain fully closed in both directions due to damage to the Rahmede viaduct until the beginning of the quarter of 2022, forecasts the traffic control center. Even after that, there will be a blockage for truck traffic over 3.5 tons – controlled by a barrier system. Several new bridges will also be built in the further course of the A45. In addition, between Lüdenscheid-Süd and Drolshagen, a new renovation of the upper carriageway layers is planned.
A40 AS Duisburg-Häfen – AS Duisburg-Rheinhausen
The Neuenkamp Rhine Bridge is currently being rebuilt in this section. During the construction work, two lanes should be available in each direction. After completion in 2026, the A40 between Duisburg-Homberg and Duisburg-Häfen will be expanded to four lanes in each direction.
A42 AS Duisburg-Beeck – AS Duisburg-Neumühl
Repairs to several bridges are also pending on the A42. At the same time, noise barriers are being replaced there and the roadway is being rehabilitated. During this time, you have to reckon with short-term closures. The work should be completed in mid-2023.
A1 AK Köln-Nord – AS Burscheid
After the temporary construction stop for the new construction of the Rhine Bridge Leverkusen, the work has been participants since March 2021. The first part of the bridge is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. Subsequently, the barrier system is to be dismantled, the ailing old Rhine bridge torn down and the second new Rhine bridge, which runs parallel to the first new building, is to be built at the same point. Until then, the diversions of truck traffic and construction work on the Kölner Ring will continue to lead to considerable use on the A1 between Burscheid and the Köln-Nord junction on both sides of the Rhine bridge.
A46 AS Haan-Ost – AS Wuppertal-Oberbarmen
Between AS Haan-Ost and AS Wuppertal-Cronenberg, work is underway to build the new Westring bridge. The first part of the bridge is already finished. Work is currently underway on the second part of the bridge, which is expected to run until mid-2022. In the entire area of the A46 to Wuppertal-Oberbarmen When & in the next few years more lanes and bridges will be rehabilitated. From the second quarter of 2022, the ceiling will be renewed for several months from the Wuppertal-Wichlinghausen junction in the direction of Dortmund. In the low-traffic times at night and on the weekends, single-lane traffic routes are planned. The entire renovation is expected to last until 2026.
A43 AK Recklinghausen – AS Bochum-Riemke
The A43 will be expanded to a total of six lanes. The measure also includes the construction of more than 20 bridges and a new tunnel in AK Herne, expected to be up until 2030. In addition, the bridge over the Rhine-Herne Canal has only limited load-bearing capacity and has been blocked for vehicles over 3.5 tons. A barrier system is currently being built, which is expected to be completed in the 1st quarter of 2022.
A57 AS Krefeld-Oppum – AK Meerbusch
A traffic management system with two narrowed lanes in each direction has been set up on the A57 for the replacement of the Am Weilerhof bridge structure. The replacement building serves as preparatory work for the six-lane expansion between AK Meerbusch and AS Krefeld-Oppum. The Autobahn 57 on the left bank of the Rhine is one of the main arteries in North Rhine-Westphalia, but suffers from chronic congestion.
A2 AS Kamen / Bergkamen – AK Kamen
On the A2, two new bridges are being replaced in this section. During the construction period, two lanes in the direction of Hanover and three in the direction of Oberhausen will be available. Work there should start this spring after the winter break – and then continue until the end of 2022. (dpa)