Less traffic jams thanks to highway lane changes

Since May, the carriageway of the A7 motorway between the Bad Windsheim and Wörnitz junctions has been renewed. This is why this section of more than ten kilometers in the direction of Ulm is currently closed. Traffic will be diverted to the opposite lane. However, as the carriageway is not wide enough for four lanes, it is reduced to three: two lanes lead to Würzburg, one to Ulm. Or vice versa, because the middle lane is changeable. The lanes are separated by bands.

Alternating lanes on motorways are a pilot project

So the middle lane can lead in one direction or the other as needed. Traffic is observed with the help of cameras. If there is much more traffic in the single lane, the middle lane can be manually changed in the opposite direction within half an hour. This system has been around for several years, according to Federal Autobahn GmbH. As a pilot project, it is already testing electric lane conversion on a shorter construction site on the A73 in Central Franconia. This should also follow on the A7 near Rothenburg.

No commuter highway

The A7 isn’t a classic commuter highway, explains police officer Brigitte Bischoff. Your department, the Rothenburg ob der Tauber police, is responsible for the highway section of the construction site. For this reason there is no conversion at the beginning of the work or after the work. By default, two lanes lead to Würzburg and one to Ulm. Often it is only changed once a day. This often happens when there is a traffic jam on surrounding motorways such as the A3, A8 or A6. Rothenburg police chief Florian Stelzig confirms that the A7 is often used as a long-distance ring road. Changing lanes often can help. The police often don’t even notice when the change occurs. Autobahn GmbH organizes the change.

The change in leadership almost led to an accident

In late August, the police noticed that the trail wrongly open in both directions. Due to a stopped truck, the cars were accidentally headed into oncoming traffic. An accident was narrowly avoided by cars driving towards each other. However, there was traffic chaos: more than 100 cars had to back out of the lane.

No “applause in the mirror”

The renewal of the carriageway on the A7 near Rothenburg is expected to last until the end of the year. Until then, if necessary, the lanes will also be changed. Less classic rear-end collisions in the construction site area are not necessarily noticed due to the alternating lane guidance, says police officer Brigitte Bischoff. Due to the barriers separating the lanes, the cars don’t pass as closely and therefore there are no worn mirrors.