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[D] Germany | road infrastructure • Deutsche Autobahnen

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#1 · (Edited)
A "highway & Autobahns forum can't exist without a topic about the real Autobahn; the German Autobahn!

German Autobahn

 
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#7,705 ·
B255 north of Montabaur

^^ I don't think so. I can't remember reading anything about "Kraftfahrstraße" (access-controlled). It will be (partial?) grade-separated and I guess it will feature 2 or 3 lanes only. Acceleration and deceleration langes at interchanges. OSM shows two carriageways :dunno:.

Some pics (source: http://www.rhein-zeitung.de).

(10th July 2013)

(4th July 2014)

(10th October 2014)

(25th November 2014; located at this interchange)
 
#7,707 ·
^^ 100km/h.
 
#7,708 ·
^^ What's the general speed limit in these kinds of roads?
The same laws apply for them. So there're no special laws for 2+1 roads/expressways.
If the carriageways are separated, then there'll be only a recommended speed limit (this applies for 1+1, too).
If they're not separated, then there'll be a 100km/h general speed limit.

In general 2+1 roads are limited to 100-120km/h regardless of how they're separated. (So 120km/h is signed although general speed limit is 100km/h. This constellation is usually extremely very rare in Germany on other roads)
General speed limit applies to a road if:
(3) Die zulässige Höchstgeschwindigkeit beträgt auch unter günstigsten Umständen 1.innerhalb geschlossener Ortschaften für alle Kraftfahrzeuge 50 km/h,
2.außerhalb geschlossener Ortschaften
[...]c)für Personenkraftwagen sowie für andere Kraftfahrzeuge mit einer zulässigen Gesamtmasse bis 3,5 t
100 km/h.[...]
Short translation: 50km/h in towns else 100km/h for cars with <3,5to.
But there're some additional sentences about when no general speed limit applies to a road:
Diese Geschwindigkeitsbeschränkung gilt nicht auf Autobahnen (Zeichen 330.1) sowie auf anderen Straßen mit Fahrbahnen für eine Richtung, die durch Mittelstreifen oder sonstige bauliche Einrichtungen getrennt sind. Sie gilt ferner nicht auf Straßen, die mindestens zwei durch Fahrstreifenbegrenzung (Zeichen 295) oder durch Leitlinien (Zeichen 340) markierte Fahrstreifen für jede Richtung haben.
(My translation)
Translation
This speed limit doesn't apply to Autobahns (Sign 330.1) and to other roads with carriageways for directions which are separated through a central reservation or any other structure. Also it doesn't apply to roads with at least two marked lanes (Sign 295) or roads marked with lane markes (Sign 340) for each direction.
(Here's the paragraph of the german highway code applying for all roads: http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stvo_2013/__3.html (German))

So if there's no central reservation/structure, it only applies to those roads which are 2+2 (and 2+1 is not 2+2 ;))
 
#7,709 ·
^^ In general, the speed limit is 100km/h on roads like shown on the pics. But it's always possible to change it. It can be reduced to 80, 70,... or it can also be raised to e.g. 120km/h. There are also "simple" 2-laned roads with 120km/h limit.
 
#7,710 ·
^^ Yes in general the speed limit is 100km/h. But it isn't the general speed limit, g.spinoza asked for. So here a detailed explination:

Roads with a central reservation/structure like in the picture from 10th of October 2014 don't have a general speed limit by law.
But I assume there's a 100/120 sign before and/or after this picture, but a road like this has no general speed limit. (And as MichiH wrote, in general there is a limit posted)

So there're even some 1+1 roads without any speed limit (because of a crash barrier), but they're really rare.

Here a list for cars (3,5to and below) for roads which are out of town:
  • 1+1 without separation = 100km/h general speed limit (usually posted: 30-100km/h)
  • 2+1 without separation (only lane markers) = 100km/h general speed limit (usually posted: 50-100km/h. Maybe 120, too? (Do you know sections with 120km/h and no separation, MichiH?))
  • 2+2 without separation (only lane markers) = no general speed limit (usually posted: 50-100km/h. I've never seen 120 on such a road. Did you, MichiH?)
---
  • 1+1 with central reservation = no general speed limit (usually posted: 50-100km/h)
  • 2+1 with central reservation (I've never seen one in Germany) = no general speed limit
  • 2+2 with central reservation = no general speed limit (speed limits could be posted, especially if there's no hard shoulder or no crash barrier)
---
  • 1+1 with structual separation (crash barrier) = no general speed limit (usually posted: 50-100km/h)
  • 2+1 with structual separation (crash barrier) = no general speed limit (usually posted: 50-120km/h. Although 120km/h is rare)
  • 2+2 with structual separation (crash barrier) = no general speed limit (speed limits could be posted, especially if there's no hard shoulder, no crash barrier or no autobahn profile was used)
 
#7,711 ·
CEF requests

Germany requested grants of the EU 'Connecting Europe Facility' (CEF) program. There are 30 applications for support with an amount of 2.8 billion €, therof 70 million € for road projects, 230 million € for waterways/harbors and 2.5 billion € for railway projects. EU commission will probably decide until September 2015. See press release (German) and project list (partial German, partial English).

Road projects:
- 4.1 million € for A26 planning Hamburg harbor
- 3.2 million € for A7 2x4 widening planning Hamburg
- 1.6 million € for A3 2x3 widening planning b/n Deggendorf and Hengersberg
- 4.7 million € for A30 Bad Oeynhausen bypass
- 0.4 million € for "Planning of a new highway bridge across the river Ochtum in the course of BAB 1- Bremen, Germany"
- 2.6 million € for A3 2x4 widening b/n Leverkusen and Cologne-Mülheim
- 3.7 million € for A8 Luxemburg - Saarbrücken
 
#7,712 ·
2+2 with central reservation = no general speed limit (speed limits could be posted, especially if there's no hard shoulder or no crash barrier)
This is :eek:hno::nuts::bash: and leads to fatal accidents...
I drove such kind of road (B4 through Harz) and i would never think i can do 200 km/h there. Now i know, but i still wouldn't go more than 120 there
 
#7,713 ·
I drove such kind of road (B4 through Harz) and i would never think i can do 200 km/h there. Now i know, but i still wouldn't go more than 120 there
I drove B4 from Torfhaus to Bad Harzburg in 2006 (map). The wide road was totally empty. No other car. One could easily drive 200+ there. There were hugh signs (no. 274 and no. 113) but I thought it's a combination, speed limit 60km/h only valid if it's snowing.... Well, I drove downhill and lost the radio signal. I "played" with the car radio and got caught by a stationary speed camera. You could see that damn camera but I just looked at the damn radio... Well, it measured 102km/h. 42km/h too fast. Doing more than 40km/h over the limit meant losing the driver license for 1 month this time... Well, there was a tolerance of 4km/h and I just were 38km/h too fast. The total fine was > 100 € because I drove a rental car. The car rental agency charged additional costs too.

 
#7,714 ·
A643

The A643 (Mainz - Wiesbaden) has been closed due to a problem with the bridge across the Rhine. A girder of the 'Vorlandbrücke' that connects the main bridge with the bridgehead, has snapped or fell according to HR-Online, causing the bridge deck to dip by 4 centimeters. The Autobahn has been closed in both direction since last night.

The Schierstein Bridge was built in 1962. It is currently being replaced due to its poor condition and high traffic volume, but it won't be completed until 2019. It is unclear how long the closure may last, it could be weeks or more. It led to a traffic chaos in Mainz and Wiesbaden.

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/rhein-ma...uecke-alles-dicht-in-rhein-main-13422370.html

http://www.hr-online.de/website/rub...p?rubrik=36082&key=standard_document_54434241
The Chamber of Industry and Commence (IHK Rheinhessen) calculated the economical costs of the closure caused by the demage of the 'Vorlandbrücke', see press release (German).

Additional costs for car drivers are about 1.2 million € per day due to loss of time and detours. Additional costs for truck drivers (>12.5t) are > 200,000 €. In total, 1.4 million €. Assuming 20% of the cars are commercial transport, total direct disadvantage for the economy is about 470,000 €/day. In total, the costs are 312 million € per year. The replacement of the Schiersteinerbrücke costs 216 million €. If there would not yet been a bridge at all, a new bridge would be amortized within 8 month. (note: I think the calculation is wrong. I don't understand why it's 312 million €?!?)

There are rumors, that the Schiersteinerbrücke will be reopened for cars only (Vmax 40km/h) in late March. Anyway, the demaged bridge ("Vorlandbrücke") will not be replaced by 2019 because it was only planned to be temporarily widened for time being. The planning of the new Vorlandbrücke (part of 2x3 widening up to AD Mainz) started in 2006. The plan approval procedure is announced to be started in early 2016. The completion of the new Vorlandbrücke could be in 2023. That means, the Schiersteinerbrücke would be closed for trucks until 2023.
The demaged "Vorlandbrücke" will probably be jacked next week (source; until "Good Friday"). Afterwards, the temporary traffic routing must be undone. The Rhine bridge should be opened (for cars) around Easter.

Anyway, as mentioned earlier, the bridge will remain closed for trucks. It's still uncertain wheater the bridge can be renovated or must be rebuilt. It was just planned to modify the "Vorlandbrücke" temporarily to lead the traffic from the new 2x3 Rhine bridge to the existing 2x2 elevated motorway ("Hochbrücke"). The plan approval procedure for the 2x3 widening of the A643 south of the Rhine bridge (including the "Vorlandbrücke") is announced to begin in 10 or 12 month (source).
 
#7,715 ·
Car toll

Ok.... The "Spiegel" article says that the European Commission is not amused about (minimum) two issues:
- It's not okay that German car owners have to pay the same like they had to pay for the car tax. There must also be German winner and loser.
- The costs of the short-term vignette is too high. The ten-days vignette costs 10 €, the cheapest annual vignette 20 €. EC has usually said that the annual vignette should cost 8 times compared to the cheapest short-term vignette.
According to the latter, the 10-days vignette must cost 2.50 € (I guess administration costs are even higher) or the cheapest annual vignette must cost 80 €. That means, German car owners with low-emission cars should have to pay much more than before. CSU party always promised that Germans do not have to pay more than before!

Nonsensical election pledge...
The Federal coalition of CDU, SPD and CSU party arrived an agreement about the car toll. The law is announced to be legislated on Friday. The short-term vignettes will be scaled too. The 10-days vignettes will cost 5, 10 or 15 € depending on ecological features of the car (previous proposal: 10 €). The 2-month vignette will cost 16, 22 or 30 € (previous proposal: 22 €). The earnings will be increased by 13 million € due to this scaling. In addition, it fulfills one possible EU objection. Source.

The truck toll for all roads is announced to be introduced in 2018. This would really increase toll earnings.
 
#7,716 ·
Car toll

^^ An official press release of the Bundestag: > click <.

There was an hearing of 4 traffic experts in the Bundestag on Monday. Each of them said, that the expected income is too high! I'm not sure if I already posted it, the Federal Ministry of Transport counted potential car toll vehicles which enter and leave Germany but each car can only be counted once.

Matthias Knobloch von ACE Auto Club Europa e.V. sieht dessen Annahmen sogar um fast den Faktor 3 zu hoch. Das Haus von BVM Alexander Dobrindt stütze sich zu 80% auf unbelegte Daten. Auf solcher Grundlage einen Systemwechsel bei der Finanzierung der Infrastruktur durchzuführen sei ein Risiko, sagte Knobloch.
Translation:

Matthias Knobloch of ACE Auto Club Europe thinks that the assumptions (of the incomes) are 3 times too high. The Ministry of Minster Dobrindt calculates by 80% with unproved data. Thus, it's a risk to pass an infrastructure funding system modification.
Anyway, who cares? The Bundestag will pass the law.
 
#7,717 ·
A99 Aschheim/Ismaning i/c

The construction of the new interchange A99 Aschheim/Ismaning near Munich is in progess. The interchange will be moved by 1.5km (map). It will be a full clover-leaf. The calculated costs were 25 million €. The estimated costs were 29 million € when the works began in summer 2013. The current calculation is 44.3 million €. The district is not amused because its cost share increased from 3.9 to 6.9 million €. Source. The i/c was announced to be completed by late 2015.
 
#7,719 ·
A40 Bochum-Stahlhausen

Early 2015: A40 2x3 widening at AD Bochum-Stahlhausen (~2km; map; u/c since Late 2009; 2x3)
The completion of the new A40 Bochum-Stahlhausen interchange with the future A448 is delayed (again). Source.

I think the project was announced to be complated by 2012 but there were many delays meanwhile. The project manager said in August 2014 that the project will be finished by December at latest - maybe earlier. A press release was published in October 2014. It announced a delay because of unpredictable matters like bombs and mining but the project will be complated by the end of the first quarter 2015. The today's news article says that the interchange will be opened in Mid or Late June 2015. The delay is caused by the cold time around New Year and problems with world war relicts at the noise barriers but no relicts have been located.


Pic: Hans Blossey, published on http://www.derwesten.de.
 
#7,720 · (Edited)
B10 Rosensteintunnel Stuttgart

The B10 Rosensteintunnel project in Stuttgart is u/c now (OSM). The B10 is a main road through Stuttgart. The project will be completed until late 2019. Costs: 231 million €.
The Rosensteintunnel has a length of 1300 m. It will feature 2x2 lanes. The project also contains a new 3-tubed Leuze tunnel at the B10/B14 intersection in the south. Its longest tube has a length of 300m.
Some pics of the B10 Rosensteintunnel construction in Stuttgart.

Neckartalstraße, southern tunnel opening (January/February 2015; map):




Pragstraße, northern tunnel opening (January 2015; map):



Source: project page.
 
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