Local politicians share one emotion when it comes to the surface of the north-western ring road around the old town: joy. Above all, “that the project is progressing,” as Svenja Jarchow-Pongratz (Greens), chairwoman of the district committee (BA) Maxvorstadt, says. Otherwise, the current draft is mostly well received. Nonetheless, residents and the committee have made a few suggestions for the planners to take with them.
Not only Maxvorstädter have gathered in the old town hall, but also representatives from the building department. They present the draft for the street reconstruction and the design of the open spaces between Gabelsbergerstrasse via Oskar-von-Miller-Ring to Von-der-Tann-Strasse. One goal of the project is to better link the art area and the old town. The aim is also an “urban spatial upgrading”.
The city council had already decided in 2017 to retrofit the old town ring tunnel. This includes, for example, a middle wall and a shortening of the tunnel ramp. According to Peter Schösser from the construction department, the work on the tunnel itself should be completed in “early summer 2023”.
But things are not only happening underground, pedestrians and cyclists are to be given more space above. This should also succeed with the construction of cycle paths “everywhere where they weren’t before,” says Schösser. There will then be less space for cars: the previous eight lanes will be reduced to five on Gabelsbergerstrasse. In this way you gain around 1580 square meters for cyclists, but also for green spaces.
A “furnished urban space” with “boulevard character” is to be created
And what happens above the tube? A workshop was held to find answers to this question. The ideas of Kübert Landschaftsarchitektur have prevailed for the area from eastern Gabelsbergerstrasse to Oskar-von-Miller-Ring. According to Heinz Grünberger from the Horticultural Office, a “specially designed urban space” including “boulevard character” from Ludwigstrasse to Amalienstrasse is to be created. A large fountain in front of the Oskar von Miller Forum forms the “main square” with “many, many places to sit”.
There is also plenty of green. 72 trees would be preserved, plus 47 more. This should, among other things, shield the pedestrian areas from the traffic lanes. Perennials, shrubs and grasses complement the concept.
Although most listeners are impressed by the lecture, criticism is not lacking. For example, a representative of the Munich Forum Association said that the people at the mouth of the tunnel and along the Gabelsbergerstraße would have wished that there would have been “abandonment of more lanes” in order to “decelerate the art area”. Schösser points out that motorized private transport has already been reduced “to a considerable extent”. More lanes cannot be dispensed with at this “neuralgic point”, which is needed to process traffic and relieve Brienner Strasse.
One of the wishes from the district is a separate drinking water connection for the planned well. It is also suggested that residents such as St. Markus Church or the Bavarian State Bank be more involved. In this way you can “get the greatest possible potential out of the area,” the BA believes.
The planners want to take the ideas with them. According to Schösser, the draft should be presented to the building committee “if possible” in the fall. With City Council approval, construction could begin in mid-2023 and last through late 2025.