New highway service area near Coburg coming: construction to start in 2025
Construction is due to start in 2025: The planning and all approval procedures for a new highway rest area on the A73 in the district of Coburg have been completed. The federal highway company Autobahn-GmbH has begun preparations for construction, a spokeswoman said in response to an inquiry. Preliminary work is planned for 2024, with the actual construction work due to start the following year. The service area near the border with Thuringia could be completed two years later.
But the project has critics. The Bund Naturschutz (BN) even considered taking legal action, but then decided against it because success seemed unlikely. However, the lack of understanding about the plans remains. "Basically, we see no need for the refueling and rest area. There is already an existing filling station at the former border crossing just a few kilometers away, as well as an inn and paved areas that could be designated as a rest area," said Jonas Kaufmann, BN representative for Upper Franconia. The BN also fears that the newly sealed surfaces of the future rest area will have a negative impact on water runoff during heavy rainfall. It is to be hoped that the capacity of the planned retention basin will be sufficient for heavy rainfall.
The project is also wrong from a climate protection perspective because it only increases truck traffic and "motorized individual traffic".
From the point of view of Autobahn-GmbH, the construction of a rest area in the region is necessary. Managed rest areas are required every 50 to 80 kilometers along freeways, it said. Among other things, this would enable truck drivers to comply with driving and rest periods.
Several locations were examined in the course of the planning process. The area in the municipality of Meeder proved to be the most suitable. In addition, the required land already belonged to Autobahn-GmbH, said the spokesperson.
According to the planning documents, a refueling and rest area will only be built in the direction of Suhl, but it will also be accessible from the direction of Nuremberg via a connecting bridge.
It is not yet clear how much the construction will cost. A cost calculation from 2018 came to around 19 million, but construction prices have risen significantly since then. "For this reason, we will update the cost calculation as part of the construction preparations," said the spokesperson.
Among other things, 117 parking spaces for cars and 64 parking spaces for trucks are to be built on just under twelve hectares.
The ongoing construction of the new highway service area near Coburg could significantly increase traffic in the area. Despite concerns from environmental groups, such as Bund Naturschutz, who argue that the new rest area isn't necessary due to existing facilities, the federal highway company Autobahn-GmbH believes that managed rest areas are necessary every 50 to 80 kilometers along highways to enable truck drivers to comply with driving and rest periods.
Source: www.dpa.com
