The city has discovered serious damage on a feeder road to the A1 and A4 in Cologne. The speed limit will be halved in that section.
Cologne drivers and commuters must prepare for traffic restrictions in the north of Cologne on the ramps to the A1 and A4. Due to safety concerns, the city has reduced the maximum speed limit on Industriestrasse between Niehler Ei and Emdener Strasse in both directions from 100 to 50 km/h at short notice. The reason for this is the critical condition of the guard rails following an accident.
“The crash barriers installed there are in a critical condition overall,” says a press release from the city of Cologne. During the repair work, it was discovered that other sections of the affected stretch of road no longer meet current safety standards. The new 50 km/h zone is intended to prevent a closure or partial closure of Industriestrasse.
In the event of serious accidents, drivers would no longer be adequately protected by the crash barriers that are currently in place. However, a closure was not an option for those responsible. “A partial closure would have a massive impact on the […] traffic with impacts on the entire transport network and the local industrial companies,” it continues.
The Cologne Ford plant is located on Industriestrasse, among other things, and thousands of commuters use the section every day to get from Cologne city center to the A4 or the A1 or the Leverkusen Rhine Bridge. Only a few months ago, the slip road to the A1 was completely reopened after being part of the long-term construction site on the new Rhine Bridge for years.
It is currently unclear how long the 50 km/h speed limit will apply on the motorway feeder road. The city of Cologne is talking about an interim solution. In the coming weeks, an external engineering firm will be commissioned to redesign the guard rails. The administration wants to award the contract as soon as possible in order to be able to provide more precise information on the duration of the construction work.
If the industrial road has to be partially closed due to the construction work, there is a risk of long delays. There are already traffic jams at the Niehler Ei roundabout during rush hour, so drivers often have to expect delays of several minutes even without construction work.
