Römerplatz roundabout Building begins in January

RÜNGSDORF · Workers will begin in January to build a roundabout at the Römerplatz intersection. Businesses in the area see it as an improvement.

 Der Römerplatz soll zu einem Kreisverkehr umgebaut werden. Dadurch entsteht auch Platz für Außengastronomie.

Der Römerplatz soll zu einem Kreisverkehr umgebaut werden. Dadurch entsteht auch Platz für Außengastronomie.

Foto: Ronald Friese

City roadworks will begin in January to convert the intersection at Römerplatz into a turning circle. They expect to finish in June. A similar project was completed in Plittersdorf incorporating Mittelstraße and Ubierstraße. That brought complaints from area business owners who said customers were scared away by all the construction and inconvenience. In contrast, the businesses at Römerplatz seem a little more relaxed.

“I’m not worried about customers leaving us. They always come,” said Giannadakis Jianni of “Mykonos Grill”. “Perhaps there will be a little bit less (business) during the time of the construction but the area will become more attractive than it is now,” he added. Ilona Wimmeroth of “Floristik am Römerplatz” thinks the roundabout is a good solution and also believes it is an improvement. She is a bit worried about how the building period will affect business but says in the end, it can only enrich the area.

The florist hopes that the work on the canal system and the building of the turning circle will be better coordinated than it was in Plittersdorf. There, the street was opened up for canal renewal, then closed and then opened up again for work on the turning circle. For small businesses, it’s important that the construction doesn’t take too long. “As a small store, we rely on people who drive by and see that a parking spot is open, otherwise they just continue driving,” says Wimmeroth.

For “Hallo Pizza”, it’s a big win. Employee Nicholas Caldeweyher says it will allow them to drive in all directions right from the start. That’s important for pizza deliverers. He likes the idea of a turning circle better than stoplights, but he also wishes Rheinstraße would not be restricted to a one-way status for more flexibility.

Over at the new “Black Coffee Pharmacy”, worker Christian Schneider says that for him as a driver, it will be a relief. One will be able to get through the area more quickly. He is not too worried about losing customers, “We have a construction site directly across from us so we already have some noise and our customers have become used to it.”

Incorporated in the new turning circle will be Ubierstraße, Rheinstraße, Konstantinstraße, Karl-Finkelnbergstraße and Rüngsdorfer Straße, but not Cäsariusstraße. There is expected to be more space for outdoor restaurant seating, two free parking spaces and three more trees. Pedestrians will have a crosswalk marked with zebra stripes. The city is still considering if there is enough room for some playground elements for children and youth. (Orig. text: Katharina Weber)

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