In the street Schönauer Friede, work is required under several purple alder trees in the root area in order to restore road safety. The first restoration work was already carried out last fall. Now the second phase of the work is being carried out between the houses numbered 86 to 90.

In the area to be renovated, there are large trees only about 1.90 meters away from the adjacent private properties. The roots of the alders have spread to a considerable extent into the adjacent paved area of the road. This is because the water and nutrient supply to the alders is disrupted by the dense subsoil, so that the roots of the affected trees use the space upwards to the road surface to continue growing there. As a result, the pavement in the carriageway and on the footpaths has been raised considerably. In some places, the roots are lying above the paving stones, creating a hazard to road safety. The spreading roots have also already caused damage to private properties.

As an immediate measure, employees of Aachen's municipal services had already removed the paving in various places in the past and laid new paving in what is known as an overarch. In other places, the paving had to be completely removed and replaced with loose chippings. However, these temporary solutions do not eliminate the constant risk of tripping hazards.

In order to permanently guarantee traffic safety in the area described, the Aachener Stadtbetrieb will expose the root areas of the affected purple alders from Monday, October 6. Tree inspectors from the municipal services will then check which roots need to be relocated or removed. As a result, it is to be expected that at least some of the purple alders will be so severely affected that they will no longer be stable and therefore cannot be preserved, which is why they will have to be removed directly from the street. The restoration work will then be carried out in the affected areas, in particular the sidewalk. The work is expected to take two weeks.

This procedure was decided at the meeting of the Aachen-Richterich district council on June 24, 2024 and approved by the city's environmental department.

The experts in the areas of road maintenance and the Aachener Stadtbetrieb tree crew will work closely together on the measure and consider each location separately. They are currently examining in parallel how replacement planting could be carried out in each area.

Due to the work, there will be traffic restrictions during this period. Access to the courtyard and garages will be restricted.