The motorway junctions from the ‘Verteilerkreis’ roundabout will then be closed for a full six weeks during the summer holidays. Both roads have a mutual bypass function. During the bridge closure, the civil engineering office recommends the A565 as an alternative connection between the north and west of the city, and also a diversion via Bornheimer Strasse, Am Propsthof and Auf dem Hügel.

A complete closure of the Viktoria bridge is necessary for the following reasons: Deutsche Bahn used the Corona pandemic as justification for bringing forward and cancelling track closures. A press release issued by the city stated, “DB is also subject to constraints in the process.

Due to the large number of construction sites in the Bonn area that need to be coordinated, and the works being carried out in parallel by DB, such as for the central train station and the S-Bahn line 13 in Beuel, DB only has very limited scope for approving track closures.” To be able to make the selected track closures for the demolition of the western half of the bridge, work must begin at the end of this week. However, the reconstruction of the eastern half of the bridge has not yet been completed at this time.

During the eleven days, the city plans to revamp the desolate and inhospitable underpass on Herwarthstraße to the Old Cemetery to make it more utilisable for pedestrians. It is to be cleaned and disinfected regularly. A security service has been employed for the poorly lit tunnel from the early hours of the morning up until the evening.

According to the city, a special detour for bicycles will be set up in coordination with the General German Bicycle Club (Allgemeinen Deutschen Fahrrad-Club, ADFC). This runs from Bornheimer Strasse via the streets Am Propsthof, Babette-Koch-Weg, Steinweg, Erich-Hoffmann-Strasse to the B56 and vice versa. The city recommends that people with limited mobility take buses via the main station. The underpass is not suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs.

The city has been renovating Viktoria bridge since the summer of 2016, and so far, crossing has always been ensured in both directions for car traffic as well as for cyclists and pedestrians. The demolition and subsequent new construction of the eastern side of the bridge began four years ago.

Now the construction site is moving to the western side. From 29 June, one lane in each direction will be available for traffic on the new half of the bridge. A 2.5-metre-wide footpath will then be laid down for pedestrians and will be open to cyclists in both directions.

24.6 million euros had originally been budgeted for the renovations. At present, the city is expecting total costs of around 45 million euros. It puts the increase down to the special requests from politicians, such as an illuminated canopy, and to more expensive construction prices.

(Original text: Lisa Inhoffen / Philipp Königs, Translation: Caroline Kusch)