A544 (under construction)
City of Aachen
Construction measures
Cracks in the concrete deck of the Haarbachtal bridge, which was built in 1956, have caused its tendons to corrode severely. Regular structural inspections were carried out in 2023 to check the safety of the bridge. The outbound lane towards Cologne had been closed since July 24, 2023. It had been closed in both directions since January 15, 2024. The bridge was blown up on January 30. The new Haarbach Valley Bridge will be built at the same height and position. It will consist of two substructures. The respective cross-section will be extended by a state of the art hard shoulder. In the event of a future renovation, a full closure will therefore no longer be necessary.
The bridge Auf der Hüls
In November 2024, Autobahn GmbH announced that the Auf der Hüls bridge, a second bridge on the A544, was so badly damaged that the structure would have to be renovated or replaced. As a renovation would only extend the service life by a few years and a second full closure of the A544 would then be necessary for a new construction, Autobahn GmbH is currently planning to renovate the "Auf der Hüls" bridge in the shadow of the construction work on the Haarbachtal bridge within the full closure phase that is required anyway. The plan is to complete the "Auf der Hüls" bridge at the same time as the first section of the Haarbachtal bridge, within two years.
The schedule
The first superstructure should be completed after 22 months at the latest, at which point the full closure will end. One lane of traffic in both directions will be open again. A further twelve months will pass before the second part of the bridge is also completed in parallel. The renaturation of the Haarbach valley will take six months. Autobahn GmbH is now predicting that both directions of traffic will be open in September 2025 (as of September 2024).
The Haarbach Valley
The Haarbach valley is also an important landscape conservation area for local recreation with numerous protected biotopes; the valley is of particular importance in terms of both the urban climate and the biotope network. In order to protect the Haarbach, Autobahn GmbH has relocated 160 meters of the stream during construction. The soils in the area of the construction site are worth protecting; they were removed or temporarily stored for the construction period and will be reinstalled later.
Interventions in the vegetation were necessary in preparation for the new construction. Suitable replacement nesting sites were created for a population of bats whose habitat was located in the bridge supports. All measures were subject to approval and have been approved. Once the bridge has been completed, the landscape below will be restored to its original state.
The organization
Thematic working groups support the implementation of the replacement construction. They include representatives of Autobahn GmbH, the city of Aachen, the city of Würselen, the StädteRegion, ASEAG and Straßen.NRW. The groups agree on how traffic technology and detour are to be regulated, which measures the traffic authorities must take and how communication is to take place.
Adjustments
Traffic routing
The detour routes that have already been designated have already proved their worth since the partial closure of the A544 in the direction of Cologne in July 2023. There have been no massive obstructions.
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Bus transport
Additional buses have been deployed on some routes with the ASEAG timetable change. Line 52 will take a detour in both directions when the A544 is closed.
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Resident protection concept Haaren
The Haaren district is particularly affected by the closure due to its location. To accompany the closure, Autobahn GmbH has had two traffic lights installed on Alt-Haarener Straße (towards the city, just before the A4 highway bridge) and on Haarener Gracht (towards Haaren, just after the A544 highway bridge). The traffic lights are intended to help shift some of the traffic from Haaren to the highway and thus reduce traffic in Haaren itself. A special bus lane was also set up with the installation of the gateway traffic lights on Alt-Haarener Straße. This should significantly speed up bus traffic.
What you can do
Drazen Zigic
Mobility dashboard
The city's mobility dashboard provides road users with up-to-the-minute information on parking spaces, traffic jams, bus timetables and charging and rental stations for electric vehicles.
traffic.nrw
Reduce traffic
The construction phase will be a major challenge for everyone involved. All road users should therefore check what they themselves can do to reduce congestion and avoid a greater burden on local residents.
Ride together, avoid traffic
- Find out now what alternative routes are available to you.
- Form car pools.
- Use carpool parking spaces in the commuter catchment area.
- Stagger your driving at the times when most vehicles are on the road.
Use Park & Ride
- Take advantage of Park + Ride facilities, e.g. at the Aachen Forest Cemetery.
- If you want to be more flexible: Have you ever considered parking your car so that you can cycle the rest of the way? Some people leave their bike where they park or arrive by train. Others take it with them in the car. Folding bikes are particularly suitable for this.
Public transportation
Use public transportation if you have the option. They are much more effective because they transport a lot of people in a small amount of road space.
On the bike
- Check whether the route by bike is possibly shorter and also faster than the route by car in the current situation. The expansion of cycle priority routes is progressing and making cycling not only safer and faster, but also more enjoyable.
https://velocity-aachen.de - Combine different modes of transport, which can also be quicker than being stuck in a traffic jam. Take the bus to the station and then cycle into the city on your e-bike after getting off.
- Test car sharing offers if you need a car on site in any case.
- Check whether the route by bike is possibly shorter and also faster than the route by car in the current situation. The expansion of cycle priority routes is progressing and making cycling not only safer and faster, but also more enjoyable.
Further mobility offers
You can find out more about mobility here.
Information in committees
Autobahn GmbH and the City of Aachen have been providing regular updates on the status of the project since the construction project was announced. Information has been provided to the Aachen City Council, the Mobility Committee and the district councils of Aachen-Brand, -Eilendorf, -Haaren and -Mitte. The Chamber of Industry and Commerce is involved and informs its companies together with Autobahn GmbH and experts from the municipalities.