Biberach is planning the most expensive tunnel: costs explode to 113 million euros!

Biberach is planning the most expensive tunnel: costs explode to 113 million euros!

Traffic congestion in and around Biberach is increasing. In order to counteract this, the bypass around the city of Biberach, which is to be realized through the planned climb to the B 30, has moved into focus. The route of this new road is around 1.5 kilometers long and connects the Aspach industrial area with the B 30. It represents the extension of the northwest bypass, which was completed in 2013. The aim of the project is to relieve the Biberach city center and the Herrlishöfen through road from through traffic. This has been discussed and planned for over 20 years, with it most recently being announced in 2020 that an approximately 900 meter long section would be built as a two-lane tunnel, which will be the longest road tunnel in the district and region.

The financial framework of the project is complex. As the developer, the Biberach district is responsible for the new road, as the climb will be designed as a district road. As early as 2007, a cost sharing agreement was agreed between the district, the city of Biberach and the municipality of Warthausen. This is distributed as follows: 43% of the costs are borne by the district, 40% by the city of Biberach and 17% by the municipality of Warthausen. The last cost estimate from 2019 put the total costs at 80 million euros. However, according to a current estimate, the costs have risen to around 113.5 million euros. This is due to increased prices in the planning and construction sectors as well as higher investigation and planning costs.

Financial challenges

Expected grants amount to around 63 million euros, so the remaining 50.5 million euros will be distributed among the three parties involved: 21.7 million for the district, 20.2 million for the city of Biberach and 8.6 million for the municipality of Warthausen. In Warthausen there are concerns as to whether the municipality will be able to finance the expensive project in the long term. The currently discussed planning approval of the process should take place in the autumn before the construction goes into implementation planning.

An important part of the new road is a 130 meter long bridge that connects the northwest bypass with the tunnel entrance. The other end of the tunnel will be located about 30 meters east of the community connection route from Mettenberg to Oberhöfen. In addition, a rescue tunnel will run parallel to the tunnel and be connected to the travel tunnel every 150 meters. The connection to the B30 is planned through roundabouts and ramps, but a possible connection from the B30 to the L280 east of Mettenberg is currently not taken into account in the plans.

Traffic control measures

In addition to the tunnel project, there is also a plan for traffic control measures that the local council approved in 2020. In view of the increasing traffic numbers in Biberach, which are expected to continue to increase until 2035, there are a number of measures that should be taken. The aim is to build a strategic road network to relieve congestion in the city center. The specific measures include the inner city ring with a speed limit of 30 km / h, the conversion into a boulevard street, and the closure of Pfluggasse in both directions to avoid slow traffic. The expansion of existing roads with additional cycle paths should also help to optimize traffic flow.

The comprehensive traffic project can therefore be seen as a step towards improving the traffic situation in Biberach. Further information can be found on the project website: aufstieg-b30.de. The cooperation of all parties involved will be crucial to overcome both the financial and transport challenges.