Interview: Construction Director Stefan Leitner on the future of the Waakirchner bypass

Created: 02/28/2022, 11:00 am

By: Christina Jachert-Maier

The volume of traffic in the center of Waakirchner is high.

© Archive Thomas Plettenberg

How are the plans for a Waakirchner bypass going?

Building Director Stefan Leitner commented on this in an interview with the Tegernseer Zeitung.

Waakirchen

– The municipal council rejects a southern bypass of Waakirchen, as provided for in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030 (BVWP) since 2017.

After the decision made in February, all alternatives previously considered by the community are off the table.

So is bypassing Waakirchen no longer an issue?

We asked building director Stefan Leitner, head of the road construction department at the Rosenheim State Building Authority.

Mr. Leitner, the municipal council should decide on a planning variant, but has left it at the rejection of the southern bypass.

Was that a surprise for you?

Stefan Leitner:

We presented the feasibility study for possible routes back in 2018 and asked the community at the time to comment on the preferred variant.

In December 2019 there was a decision that the municipal council was against the ground-level bypass.

It was also known that there were not only supporters of a bypass.

That is why the decision that has now been taken is not the greatest of surprises.

According to the state building authority, how important would it be to bypass Waakirchen?

Stefan Leitner:

It's a through-town with 15,000 vehicles per day.

This number is well above the average for federal roads.

We also have tight, confusing curves there with many junctions, openings and steep gradients of up to eight percent.

The junction with the state road was also an accident black spot in the past.

A bypass would improve the immission burden for the residents and the situation for the weaker road users, as well as reduce the separating effect of the through-road.

Building Director Stefan Leitner © Private

Is the assessment expressed in the municipal council correct that the federal government is only concerned with making traffic on the B472 faster, not with relieving the burden on the town?

Stefan Leitner:

It's not true that it's the only goal.

It is correct that the measure provided for in the FTIP would make travel easier and save time for road users on the federal highway.

Achieving that is also a goal, but not the main goal.

A number of procedural steps have already been taken for bypass planning.

Are they obsolete with the decision of the municipal council or are they still being planned?

Stefan Leitner:

After presenting the feasibility study, we didn't take any further steps.

There are currently no further plans for the local bypass.

At the moment we do not have a decision from the Waakirchner municipal council.

But we will certainly get it soon, then we will consult with the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport about how to proceed.

The FTIP is law.

Could a bypass be built against the will of the municipality?

Stefan Leitner:

In principle, that would be possible.

But in my personal opinion, the federal government will not spend any money on a bypass that a municipality does not want.

But that's really just my personal opinion.

As the state building authority, we cannot decide that, we are only contract administrators for the federal government.

Once we have the municipal council's decision, we will seek talks with the ministry and agree on how to proceed.

To say more now would be pure speculation.

The federal government has the last word.

jm