A new, two-part bridge with a route for trams – this is what Mayor Stephan Keller (CDU) sees most as a new version of the Theodor Heuss Bridge in the north of the city, an important connection for thousands of commuters from the region.
The bridge, which dates back to the 1950s, has been dilapidated for some time because it was not designed for today’s traffic volume. Since 2019, it has therefore been closed to trucks weighing more than 30 tonnes.
Four variants in final selection
The city had examined a total of 26 options in recent months and ultimately narrowed them down to four. In addition to retaining the bridge for pedestrians and cyclists with tunnel solutions for car traffic and a mixed bridge and tunnel construction, a new construction with and without a public transport route is under discussion.
The city is expected to propose a two-part new bridge, including a route for local public transport, to politicians next spring. The city estimates the rough cost of this option at around 600 million euros.
Tunnel solution or later route construction significantly more expensive
The city justifies its preference by saying that this option is the most economical and can be implemented the quickest. According to the administration’s estimates, solutions involving tunnel construction would be more than twice as expensive, as would the subsequent construction of a public transport route.
