– The south-west bypass was built by the cities of Nuremberg and Fürth. Now, however, Nuremberg wants to hand over the expressway to the federal government as quickly as possible. Although she has to pay something for it. But it is much more expensive to maintain.
It connects the Nürnberg-Hafen motorway junction with the Fürth district. Hence it got its name. Because it runs from south to west through the greater Nuremberg area, the expressway is called the Südwesttangente. On which cars are currently not driving fast everywhere, but are slowed down by numerous construction sites.
Cities build “Autobahn”
The south-west bypass has also been a construction site for the city of Nuremberg for years. Because although Nuremberg built the expressway together with the city of Fürth when the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal was built, it is still like a motorway. And yet it was owned by the two cities at the time.
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According to the route concept, the south-west bypass was designed as the “Bundesautobahn BAB 752”. Even experts in the city administration do not know why the route was never handed over to the federal government after completion. “In any case, that comes from a time when the federal government was still poor and the city was still rich,” says Daniel Ulrich.
In Nuremberg private road
But this relationship has not applied for a long time, adds the construction consultant. Nevertheless, the cities of Nuremberg and Fürth have always carried the maintenance burden for the route. In Nuremberg, the route, which is actually a motorway, is currently under private road. In Fürth, on the other hand, the south-west bypass is a communal road.
“Since the mid-1990s there have been repeated efforts by the two cities to finally hand over the line to the responsibility of the federal government,” says Daniel Ulrich. Fürth and Nuremberg started the most recent attempt in 2017 when they commissioned an external report. This should clarify the legal definitions. The result of the review: The Südwesttangente is “a federal trunk road that is to be dedicated either as a federal freeway or as a federal highway without cultivation”.
The southwest bypass is currently a construction site in many places.
After the two neighboring cities have carefully checked everything again and the route is not a municipal road that primarily serves local needs, Nuremberg and Fürth agree: They want to rededicate the south-west bypass to the autobahn. Knowing full well that this will initially cost the municipalities something. “A transfer will be necessary”, says Daniel Ulrich in the traffic committee of the city of Nuremberg. “But everything is cheaper than owning them yourself.” Because the maintenance would devour hundreds of millions of euros in the next few years.
Distances already kept
A disadvantage, on the other hand, is that the distances to motorways specified by the statutory regulations must be adhered to along the route when planning. “However, due to the history of the route, the distances are already taken into account today,” says Daniel Ulrich. And existing development applies to the existing development. Therefore, according to the construction department, restrictions for residents or road users are not to be expected according to the current status.
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Mayors Marcus König and Thomas Jung, Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer and Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder have announced that the cities are calling for a rededication. Next, the request goes to the responsible Federal Highway Authority in Leipzig. Then the southwest bypass should finally become a federal motorway.
