A Weilheim Ost bypass in the tunnel would be “more environmentally friendly” than the other routes examined and, with investment costs of 125.9 million euros, also “economical”: This is the result of the study that has now been presented to the city council.
This year the city wants to ask citizens about the bypass.
Weilheim
- The surprise was big when the state building authority included a new variant in the ongoing preliminary investigation for the B 2 bypass Weilheim: a local bypass to the east as a "complete tunnel". All tunnel variants in the center were finally sorted out as unrealistic or too expensive.
On Wednesday evening, the authority presented the results of a more detailed investigation for this "eastern tunnel" to the Weilheim city council - in the same style as it has been for above-ground eastern variants and two routes in the west since 2019.
And these results were no longer a surprise: the “east tunnel” would be feasible and would meet the goals of a bypass (higher efficiency of the B 2, relief of the Weilheim passage).
In terms of environmental compatibility, it can be classified as “just as cheap as the center tunnel variant”, according to the presentation, which is also available on the Internet at www.stbawm.bayern.de (section Road construction / Projects / B 2, relief road Weilheim).
Delicate bottleneck on the Angerbach
The “east tunnel” would also impair protected assets, as the building authority representative Andreas Lenker summarized the results of the environmental impact assessment, but less than all other variants that are still in the running. The “bottleneck” on the Angerbach, where sheet piling also has to be built, is the most delicate. People would be most affected in the one to two year construction period. The tunnel would be built “in sections” using the cut-and-cover method, which Lenker described as building “several underground car parks in a row”.
In total, the route is 4.3 kilometers long, the new sealing with the complete tunnel amounts to 6.8 hectares.
The State Building Authority puts the investment costs at 125.9 million euros, which results in a benefit-cost ratio (NKV) of 2.2.
The western bypasses have worse values (the long route 1.77, the short 1.24);
in principle, however, any variant with a value above 1.0 is considered to be “macroeconomically advantageous”.
The mining-based center tunnel was estimated at 317 million euros - and was eliminated because of its NKV of 0.92.
Tunnel: immense follow-up costs for the federal government
The operating and maintenance costs for a long east tunnel, to be borne by the federal government, amount to an impressive 1.88 million euros annually. For comparison: According to Lenker, the almost 400-meter-long Guggenberg tunnel on the Peißenberg bypass causes electricity costs of 80,000 euros per year. Incidentally: The costs for planning and investigations in the matter of the “Weilheim bypass” have already totaled over one million euros since it was included in the federal requirement plan in 2016.
In the city council there were still many detailed questions about the "east tunnel".
Lenker explained that an emergency exit is necessary approximately every 300 meters and that emergency vehicles must be able to reach them.
An exhaust air chimney would be conceivable halfway, but not necessarily necessary.
Everything except development would be possible directly above the tunnel: whether green corridor, cycle path, access road or leisure facilities, that will depend on the city's further plans in this area - and that there will be “a big discussion” in Weilheim, according to Lenker.
Weilheim bypass: This year, citizen survey
If the route crosses sports facilities and other facilities, the federal government must provide replacement or compensation, explained the building authority representative. With the planned new construction of the Medele car dealership on Deutenhausener Strasse, the corridor will be narrower, but construction will not be impossible. But Lenker also emphasized: "If you want to continue to pursue this route, the city should keep it as free as possible."
What the city of Weilheim wants, a citizen survey should clarify this year if possible. After the summer break, the city council will decide on the exact issues, it said on Thursday. During the debate in the council, there were positive voices on the "east tunnel", but in some cases there were also general rejection of a bypass road. Lenker emphasized again that no bypass would be built against the will of the municipality: "Until the groundbreaking, the city can say at any time: We don't want that."
