A striking Lindwurm adorns the Art Nouveau railing of the railway bridge on Lindwurmstrasse. He won’t be seen again for a while. Next Monday, March 11th, the first work on the demolition and construction of the more than 100-year-old overpass will begin. The actual construction work will begin on March 25th. Until this is completed, car traffic between Poccistrasse and Implerstrasse can only flow out of the city. Apart from two full closures, pedestrian and bicycle traffic are not affected.
The bridge – an overpass from a railway perspective, an underpass from a car driver or cyclist perspective – is so dilapidated that it has had to be supported with steel girders since 2017. Last year, the city council finally approved the plans for the new building. The city is contributing around 31 million euros to the new building, while Deutsche Bahn’s (DB) share is almost 14.7 million euros.
In return, the city is also creating space for a possible new tram line during the construction project. The roadway will be lowered by 1.1 meters in order to achieve a so-called clear height of 4.5 meters for passage. It remains to be seen whether a tram will actually run between Lindwurmstrasse and Harras again one day. But the city didn’t want to deny itself the opportunity to do this.
From June 3rd to July 8th this year and next year from October 24th to December 5th, the passage will be completely closed to all road users.
The nearest crossings of the railway tracks are in Radlkoferstraße and Thalkirchner Straße/Tumblingerstraße. The former can be reached via Pfeuferstrasse, after the bridge you can return to Lindwurmstrasse via Hans-Fischerstrasse and Poccistrasse. You can get to Thalkirchner Straße from Implerstraße via Oberländerstraße or Valleystraße. For a long bypass, you can take a detour via Schäftlarnstrasse and Lagerhausstrasse, from which you can return to Lindwurmstrasse via Tumblingerstrasse and Ruppertstrasse.
The final work is expected to be completed in summer 2028
During the complete closure, the DB offers a shuttle bus for pedestrians to take people in a ring to the other side of the bridge. Construction work usually takes place during the day. However, from May 10th to July 5th, 2024 and from October 24th to December 5th, 2025, some work must also be done at night.
The new railway bridge is scheduled to go into operation in 2025, provided there are no delays – as is often the case at other DB construction sites. The final work is expected to be completed in summer 2028. The historic bridge railing is currently being restored and will later be reattached to the overpass.
It is still unclear when the rest of Lindwurmstrasse will be redesigned. As is well known, wide cycle paths and sidewalks are to be created here, but one lane in each direction and parking spaces will be eliminated. New delivery zones are to be created for businesses. The city council could decide on the renovation this summer, and the building department would then take over further planning.
On Monday, the mobility department invited the traders on Lindwurmstrasse to an online information event, where those affected could also express suggestions and criticism. The city distributed more than 600 invitations, but only around 20 participants took part in the chat. Around 70 viewers followed the information session on YouTube.