Düsseldorf. There are various ideas for the future of Düsseldorf’s dilapidated Theodor Heuss Bridge. How citizens can now get involved.
The structural condition of the Theodor Heuss Bridge in Düsseldorf has been a topic of discussion in the city for many years. Demolition, which has long been on the table, seems increasingly likely. However, a decision on the future of the listed bridge has not yet been made. However, investigations into possible scenarios are already underway. As part of a public participation process, citizens can now find out about the status of the investigations in a dialogue forum.
Dialogue forum is the next step in participation process
The Theodor Heuss Bridge is not only a very important transport link in Düsseldorf and the region, it also shapes the Düsseldorf cityscape. The structure, which was built in 1957 and has been a listed building since 2016, is used by thousands of people every day. Countless citizens are therefore interested in what will happen to the bridge. A participation process is intended to take this fact into account: In mid-June 2023, the public was informed about the condition and future prospects of the dilapidated cable-stayed bridge at an information fair in the steelworks. Now the citizen participation continues with a dialogue forum.
The forum will take place on Wednesday, September 11th, from 4:30 p.m. in the rooms of the Rheinbad 50 – Sportpark Nord/Europaplatz, Europaplatz 1. Mayor Stephan Keller will welcome the participants. Admission is from 4 p.m. The event is expected to end around 7 p.m. In addition, the city is offering online participation until September 20th. The access data for online participation as well as further information on the dialogue forum and the topic can be found at www.duesseldorf.de/thb. Questions can be sent to the city by email to beteiligungTHB@zebralog.de be asked.
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26 future scenarios for the bridge were reviewed
Based on the information submitted by the public and the previous investigations by experts, various solution strategies were examined, the city announced. In addition to technical feasibility, planning aspects such as urban development quality, the environment, costs and impacts on construction time were taken into account.
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During the entire public participation process, a total of 26 variants for the future of the bridge were examined, the city explains. Some of these were eliminated in a first step because they could not be realized without demolishing the residential buildings, particularly on the right bank of the Rhine. After further selection steps, eight variants remained, of which the city has shortlisted four: The only one that involves retaining the existing bridge would replace the roadway for car traffic with a new bored tunnel. The existing bridge would then only remain for cycle paths and footpaths.
From the city’s perspective, the quickest and most economical options would be to build a new bridge in two parts with public transport or a new one without public transport. The fourth idea that made it onto the shortlist is a compromise between preservation and new construction. This would involve building a new bridge for private and bicycle traffic plus a sidewalk, as well as a new tunnel for heavy goods traffic. This tunnel would later be converted for public transport.
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Special bridge design with apartments caused a stir
There are also sensational visions for the future of the Theodor Heuss Bridge: In 2022, the architectural firm RKW presented a draft initiative that seems like it comes from the future and also addresses Düsseldorf’s housing shortage: According to this design, up to 400 residential units could be built on a newly built bridge, while the roadway is relocated inside the bridge. A cycle path and green spaces would then be created above the car tunnel. Visually, the bright white structure in the created representations looks like it was taken from a science fiction film.
This futuristic idea was brought into play by the architectural firm RKW for the Theodor Heuss Bridge. © RKW Architektur
A look at the city’s website for the Theodor Heuss Bridge shows that it is unlikely that a new bridge will look so futuristic. “Due to the appearance of the other bridges in the Düsseldorf bridge family and the results available so far, the construction of a cable-stayed bridge is an obvious choice,” it says. However, not all cable-stayed bridges are the same – various designs are conceivable. The exact appearance can only be examined and determined in more detail during the preliminary planning phase, the city announces.
The city’s executive office for bridge, tunnel and light rail construction is currently about to begin planning. There are no concrete ideas or developed strategies for the future of the bridge yet. The participation process is intended to help determine further “boundary conditions” for the subsequent planning, according to the city of Düsseldorf.
