A whole avenue would have to fall for a U4 variant in Frankfurt
In Frankfurt, the plans for closing the U4 gap are progressing, and the University’s Westend campus is to be connected. But there is a hurdle
Frankfurt-Three variants are left: On Wednesday evening, the municipal mobility department and the transport company (VGF) presented to the public and two local advisory councils how the city is planning to close the U4 gap between Bockenheimer Warte and Ginnheim. One thing became clear: the route demanded by the well-known citizens’ initiatives would have massive disadvantages for the environment.
For Variant 1a along Zeppelin and Miquelallee, all trees along the streets would have to be felled, said Wolfgang Siefert, personal advisor to Stefan Majer (Greens), head of the mobility department. Now VGF infrastructure expert Jürgen Tiesler added: A few meters of palm and botanical gardens would also be needed. And on the western edge of the botanical garden and the Grüneburgpark, a tunnel ramp would be built. The number is circulating behind closed doors: 104 trees would have to go.
BIs demand open construction – the city is strictly against it
The favorite of almost all parties in Römer, on the other hand, is solution 3i with a long tunnel deep under Grüneburgpark to the Westend campus of Goethe University, where a station opens out under Adorno-Platz. In variant 1a, die BI Grüneburgpark, the action group Westend and the environmental association BUND favor the tunnel, on the other hand, would be built using an open construction method. According to expert Tiesler, this means a significant intervention in the groundwater, years of expensive pumping will be necessary. “That should be avoided.”
Wolfgang Siefert added: “The open construction method is no longer up-to-date in terms of environmental aspects.” The city is therefore examining the direct alternative 1d with tunnel construction using a drilling machine under the Palmengarten. “You could save a lot of trees with that,” commented visitor Jakob Hebsacker.
Hydrogeology expert Dirk Brehm prefers not to say anything about how tunnels or open construction pits will soon affect the groundwater flows before his measurement results are available. “It’s a very special corner.”
City: The cheapest solution does not have to be the best solution
However, disruptions to the groundwater flow can be ruled out using a tunnel boring machine. According to Brehm, the water simply finds new ways around the 8-meter tubes. All investigations should be available by the end of 2023, so that the city councilors could make the decision for one variant at the beginning of 2024, said Siefert. The line could then go into operation in the early 2030s. “We are now collecting a lot of facts in order to filter out the best variant,” emphasized Ingo Kühn, head of the urban railway construction company SBEV. All three variants would have their advantages and disadvantages and would be examined with an open mind.
The majority of the three-hour event in the lecture hall center on the Westend university campus, which was intended to provide information to local councils 2 (Bockenheim, Westend) and 9 (Dornbusch, Eschersheim, Ginnheim), was characterized by fundamental criticism from opponents of the project. A resident of August-Siebert-Strasse, which Keller would cross from the Uni-Trasse, expects why the city didn’t die later, so choose the direct option. “For reasons of economy, the preferred variant should be chosen,” agreed Wolf-Rüdiger Hansen from the BUND environmental association. “The cheapest variant does not have to be the best,” says Wolfgang Siefert. In addition to the costs, aspects such as “the transport benefit or the indications of flora and fauna” are also important.
Viewers angry about critics: “Everything is just torn apart”
In response to questions, the speaker explains that of course the CO2 emissions during tunnel construction also flow into the decision on variants, that the tunnel is also independent of city growth in the sense of the mobility turnaround and that the tram in Reuterweg should also be built. Ingrid Häußler, head of the FDP parliamentary group in the Neuner, found that far too little was emphasized how much the new route would also benefit the northern parts of the city. “It’s not just about connecting the campus.” The city should not repeat the mistake of an above-ground route. “We are already shaped in Eschersheim.”
She also criticized the fact that fundamental debates had been held again throughout the evening instead of giving new information. Visitor Philipp Sturm was also pissed off. “For those who are significantly interested, it is unbearable how everything is just torn up.” (Dennis Pfeiffer-Goldmann)