(ffm) The construction site sign is up, the construction fences are set: The city of Frankfurt is expanding the roadside bike path and sidewalk on a section of Mörfelder Landstraße. In doing so, the city is closing another gap in the cycle path network and creating an attractive connection for cyclists and pedestrians along the outdoor stadium between Flughafenstraße and Otto-Fleck-Schneise.
"Eintracht fans who like to cycle can thus get to the Waldstadion (Commerzbank Arena) more easily. At the Otto-Fleck-Schneise, we also have a direct connection to the Hessian long-distance cycle route R8," explains head of transport Klaus Oesterling. The section makes a sensible connection to the GrünGürtel circular cycle route. The route extension is the last section of the overall route Mörfelder Landstraße, which runs between Otto-Fleck-Schneise and Oppenheimer Landstraße and is part of the city-wide cycling network.
Actually, the state construction authority Hessen Mobil is responsible for the section of the Mörfelder Landstraße (B 43/44). Since Hessen Mobil lacks the personnel capacity to expand the accompanying bike path and sidewalk, the city of Frankfurt provides administrative assistance and takes over the construction project. In return, the city receives money for the extension. The city and the state construction authority have reached an administrative agreement to this effect.
The work will take some time, because the section of construction now pending has a length of just under 1500 meters after all. To be fair, no reconstruction is required on about 500 metres of the route. The city is using the bike and sidewalk expansion to build infiltration swales and put cables underground. The width of the bike and sidewalk varies from 2.50 to 3.70 meters, depending on the section of the road.
Car traffic is unlikely to notice much of the work, because there are no restrictions. With one exception: in order to connect the cycle path to the long-distance cycle route R8, a traffic-safe reconstruction of the junction is required at the level of Otto-Fleck-Schneise, which will also have an impact on traffic. "When Eintracht plays or events are scheduled at the Waldstadion, the volume of traffic on Mörfelder Landstrasse is very high. The implementing Office for Road Construction and Development (ASE) is in close contact with offices and businesses to keep the restrictions for all parties as low as possible," says Councillor Oesterling. According to the current status, the sidewalk and bike path will be ready in the early summer of 2020.
For cyclists, a detour is signposted via Flughafenstraße and Otto-Fleck-Schneise.
