Lothringer Straße 2nd construction phase

Brief info

• Project: Reconstruction Lothringer Straße
• Objective: Upgrading of the square and footpaths and conversion into a bicycle lane
• Project phase: under construction

Current

Work on Lothringerstrasse will continue over the next few weeks and should be completed by the end of April. See also press release here.

Map

Video

Link to YouTube

Occasion and goal

The 2nd construction phase of Lothringerstraße connects Oppenhoffallee with Wilhelmstraße. It is part of the Eilendorf and Brand priority cycle routes, which are currently being planned or implemented, as well as the premium footpath 3 towards Frankenberger Park. The road design is to be adapted in line with the functional requirements of these superordinate network concepts. In the course of this, the spatially adjacent and functionally integrated district square is also to be redesigned.

Condition and planning

Street space

In accordance with the planning decision of the Mobility Committee on 26.06.2019 , the entire section of Lothringerstraße between Oppenhoffallee and Wilhelmstraße will be converted into a bicycle lane . To achieve this, Lothringerstraße will become a one-way street for motorized individual traffic. In future, the lane width of the cycle lane will be 4.40 - 4.50 m and the premium footpath on the northern side of Lothringerstrasse will have a minimum width of 2.50 m as well as widening to a width of up to 4.94 m in sections. The crosswalk west of the junction with Alfonsstraße will remain in place to safeguard the school route.

The lane of the cycle lane will be painted red over its entire surface to emphasize the priority of cycling in accordance with the objectives of the cycling decision. The red coloring will only be applied after completion of the regional network measure (probably after 2029). To clarify the right of way for the Lothringerstraße cycle route, footpath crossings will be provided on both sides at the junctions (Alfonsstraße, Herzogstraße and Friedrichstraße). The number of bicycle parking spaces will be significantly increased along the entire length of the road.

District square

The district square is located on the planned premium footpath no. 3 from the city center to the Frankenberger Park destination. Along this pedestrian route, the square will in future offer a pocket green space with significantly improved amenity and green quality. The plans envisage that the side road and the 16 parking spaces in the core area will be removed. The parking spaces on Lothringerstrasse will also be removed. The footpaths will have a minimum width of 2.50 m. In addition, the square will be unsealed and the existing tree population will be supplemented. The future tree beds will be edged with a 50 cm wide concrete border. This will vary in height and will have seating at various points, some with backrests and armrests. A play area will also be created and the collection containers will be given a new, more local location.

After various considerations to preserve the existing trees, the politicians were informed by a table presentation and the citizens were informed by a press release that the trees in the square were to be felled. The felling of the trees is necessary because an in-depth inspection - a so-called root search - showed that the tree roots lie above and below a 10 to 40 centimeter thick layer of concrete in the subsoil. This layer can only be removed with heavy equipment - which in turn would damage the trees.

In addition, the trees have been professionally inspected and found to be permanently damaged due to the difficult site conditions and the recent periods of heat. Once the construction work to redesign Lothringerstrasse has been completed, a total of 16 new trees will be planted around the square: nine of them have large crowns and six have small crowns. There will also be a large-crowned tree at the junction with Alfonsstrasse. Later, seven more trees are to be added along the entire length of Lothringerstrasse, four between Oppenhoffallee and Friedrichstrasse and three between Alfonsstrasse and Wilhelmstrasse. The bottom line is that the tree balance will be much more positive than it is today.

The future tree beds will be laid out and designed in the best possible way. This will give the new trees large root spaces. Their living conditions will be significantly better and they will be prepared for the expected change in the urban climate with periods of low rainfall and very hot weather.

Construction times

Construction will start in March 2024 and last around 6.5 months.

From 2029, Regionetz GmbH will lay new supply lines and house connections in Lothringerstrasse. This will be followed by the planting of new trees along Lothringerstrasse and the red coloring of the roadway.

Procedure and costs

An estimated cost of just under 2 million euros is to be expected for the realization of the measure.

KAG contributions

The extension of Lothringerstrasse triggers a contribution obligation in accordance with Section 8 KAG for the roadway, parking strip, sidewalk and surface drainage sections.

Citizen information and implementation decision

The implementation decision could be made in the 4th quarter of 2022.

Questions and answers

Here you will find the answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Council info template