Geological drilling in Wangen: Removal of the B 32 level crossing begins!

Geological drilling in Wangen: Removal of the B 32 level crossing begins!

The removal of the level crossing on the B 32 in Wangen im Allgäu is an important project that is currently being pushed forward by the Tübingen regional council. The planned geological exploratory drilling for the implementation planning of the project will start on June 12th and is expected to last until June 18th, 2025. These measures are aimed at collecting the necessary data for further planning to ensure that construction work runs smoothly. According to rp.baden-wuerttemberg.de, the investigations are taking place on the sidewalks next to the B 32, while pedestrians and cyclists have to be rerouted.

The aim is to disrupt through traffic on the B 32 as little as possible, but temporary disruptions cannot be ruled out. The regional council asks all road users and residents for their understanding and recommends finding out about potential disruptions in advance.

Plan approval procedures and lead times

The project to remove the level crossing, which is located 400 meters north of downtown Wangen, includes the construction of a new railway bridge over the lower federal road. The application from the road construction administration of the state of Baden-Württemberg was submitted on June 28, 2021. The planning documents will begin on September 13, 2023 and can be viewed in Wangen until October 12, 2023. Citizens are invited to submit objections in writing by October 26, 2023 to express their concerns. It is important that these objections clearly identify the feared impairments so that they can be taken into account in further proceedings, as wochenblatt-news.de explains.

In order to promote citizen participation, citizen consultation hours are also offered by the road construction administration during the process. After the objection period has expired, all concerns expressed will be forwarded to the project developer for comment. The aim is to achieve a comprehensive clarification of the facts and resolution of the conflict.

Extensive measures and infrastructure

The plan is to lower the B 32 from the junction with Gegenbaurstrasse to Hans-Schnitzer-Weg. This will enable the construction of a 40 meter wide bridge that will be built between the Ravensburg suburb and the “Buch” local recreation area. Flood protection measures and the barrier-free conversion of the pedestrian underpass between Praßbergstrasse and Fronwiesen are also planned.

A construction time of around four years is estimated for the entire project. The planned measures also include the implementation of species protection reports and the creation of a landscape conservation plan. The land requirement for the implementation of the project mainly includes areas owned by the federal government, Deutsche Bahn AG and the city of Wangen. A physical security through an easement could also be necessary in order to be able to use the affected land for construction work. In addition, evidence preservation procedures are planned for affected residential and commercial buildings in order to document any damage during the construction period.

In summary, the removal of the level crossing on the B 32 is not only a necessity to improve traffic safety, but also a step towards a modern and barrier-free infrastructure for the city of Wangen.