Bundesautobahn 4

Summary

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Bundesautobahn 4 (translates from German as Federal Motorway 4, short form Autobahn 4, abbreviated as BAB 4 or A 4) is an autobahn in two discontinuous segments that crosses Germany in a west–east direction. The western segment has a length of 156 km (97 mi), while the part in the east is 429 km (267 mi) long.

A 4 shield}}
A 4
Bundesautobahn 4
Map
Route information
Length616 km (383 mi)
Existed1934–present
Major junctions
Major intersections
A 76
E314
Netherlands

(1) Vetschau border crossing
(-) Bocholtz
The offramp of the Dutch exit Bocholtz is on German territory
(2) Aachen-Laurensberg
(3) Aachen-Zentrum B 57
Toresberg parking area
(4) Aachen 4-way interchange A 44 / E40, A 544
Services Aachener Land
(5a) Eschweiler-West B 264
(5b) Eschweiler-Ost B 264
Alte Kippe parking area
(5c) Weisweiler
Inde bridge
(5d) Langerwehe
Rest area Rur-Scholle
Rur bridge 100 m
(6) Düren B 56
(7a) Merzenich
Wildlife crossing 35 m
(7b) Elsdorf B 477
(8) Kerpen
(8) Kerpen 4-way interchange A 61
Erftbrücke 50 m
Frechen-Königsdorf (under construction)
Services Frechen
(9b) Frechen-Nord
(10) Köln-West 4-way interchange A 1 / E31
Kölner Ring
(11) Köln-Klettenberg B 265
(—) Containerbahnhof Köln-Eifeltor
(12) Köln-Süd 4-way interchange A 555
Rheinbrücke Rodenkirchen 567 m
(13) Köln-Poll
(14) Gremberg 4-way interchange A 559
(15) Heumarer Dreieck A 3 / E35 A 59
(16) Kreuz Köln-Ost A 3 / E35
Kölner Ring B 55a
(17) Köln-Merheim
(18) Refrath
Rest area Lustheide
(19) Bensberg
(20) Moitzfeld B 55
Röttgesberg parking area
(21) Overath-Untereschbach
Talbrücke Holzbach 440 m
(22) Overath B 55 B 484
Aggerbrücke 110 m
Services Aggertal
Talbrücke Schlingenbach 230 m
Erlenhof parking area
Talbrücke 170 m
Talbrücke Loopebach 370 m
Talbrücke 400 m
(23) Engelskirchen
Talbrücke 470 m
Bellingroth parking area
(24) Wiehl/Bielstein
Talbrücke Molbach 210 m
Wiehltalbrücke 705 m
Hömeler Feld parking area
Brücke 280 m
(25) Gummersbach
Rest area Morkepütz
Talbrücke Alpebach 310 m
(26) Reichshof/Bergneustadt B 256
Rest area Hasbacher Höhe
(27) Reichshof-Eckenhagen
(28) Olpe-Süd A 45 / E41 E40
Biggebrücke 230 m
(28) Wenden
Talbrücke Dahl 126 m
Talbrücke Altenberg 239 m
Talbrücke Elben 430 m
(29) Krombach B 54
Biedenkopf (planned)
Wetter (Hessen)-West (planned)
Wetter (Hessen)-Süd (planned)
Sarnau (planned)
Cölbe (planned)
Schönstadt (planned)
Kirchhain (planned)
Stadtallendorf (planned)
Intersection 3-way interchange Stadtallendorf (planned) A 49
Neustadt (Hessen) (planned)
Intersection 3-way interchange Neustadt (Hessen) (planned) A 49
Schwalmstadt (planned)
Neukirchen (planned)
Oberaula (planned)
(31) Kirchheim 3-way interchange A 7 / E45
E40
Services Kirchheim will be closed
Asbachgrund/Engersburg parking area
Asbachtalbrücke 280 m
Rest area Auerhahnkuppe
Fuldabrücke 110 m
(32) Bad Hersfeld B 27 B 62
Talbrücke Siebenborn 260 m
Talbrücke Großer Kessel 220 m
(33) Friedewald
Rest area
Talbrücke Eichhorst 240 m
(34) Wildeck-Hönebach
(35) Wildeck-Obersuhl
(36) Gerstungen western part
Weihetalbrücke Richelsdorf 584 m
(36) Gerstungen eastern part
Talbrücke 70 m
Talbrücke Fuchsloch 80 m
Intersection Wommen (planned) A 44
Talbrücke Wommen 304 m
(37) Wommen B 400 ()
Brücke Frauenborner Bach 120 m
(38) Herleshausen B 7a
Werratalbrücke 732 m
Services Eisenach
Raststätte Ramsberg will be closed ()
(39) Eisenach-West B 7 B 19
(40) Eisenach-Ost B 84
parking area
Talbrücke Hörseltal 422 m
(40b) Sättelstädt
(41a) Waltershausen
Services Hörselgau
(41b) Gotha-Boxberg
(42) Gotha B 247
Apfelstädttalbrücke 150 m
Rest area
(43) Wandersleben
(44) Neudietendorf/Arnstadt-West
(45) Erfurt 4-way interchange A 71
Gerabrücke 110 m
(46) Erfurt-West B 4
Rest area Willroder Forst
(47a) Erfurt-Ost
(47b) Erfurt-Vieselbach
Services Eichelborn
(48) Nohra
(49) Weimar B 85
Rest area
(50) Apolda B 87
Ilmtalbrücke 385 m
(51) Magdala
Raststätte Schorba
(52) Schorba
parking area
Tunnel Jagdbergtunnel 3034 m
(53) Jena-Göschwitz B 88
Saaletalbrücke 838 m
Tunnel Einhausung Lobeda 600 m
(54) Jena-Zentrum
Podelsatzbrücke224 m
Talbrücke Zeitzgrund 295 m
(55) Stadtroda
Services Teufelstal
Teufelstalbrücke 270 m
(56a) Hermsdorfer Kreuz A 9 / E51
(56b) Hermsdorf-Ost
(57) Rüdersdorf
Thieschitzer Talbrücke 270 m
Talbrücke Weiße Elster 160 m
(58a) Gera-Langenberg B 2 B 7
(58b) Gera
(59) Gera-Leumnitz
(60) Ronneburg B 7
Sprottetalbrücke 200 m
(61) Schmölln
Pleißenbrücke 550 m
Crimmitschau (planned)
(62) Meerane B 93
(63) Glauchau-West
Rest area Am Angerberg
(64) Glauchau-Ost B 175
Talbrücke Zwickauer Mulde 550 m
(65) Hohenstein-Ernstthal B 180
(planned)
(66) Wüstenbrand
Raststätte Rabensteiner Wald
parking area
(67) Limbach-Oberfrohna
(68) Kreuz Chemnitz 4-way interchange A 72 / E441
(69) Chemnitz-Mitte B 95
Tunnel Eisenbahnunterfahrung 35 m
(70) Chemnitz-Glösa B 107
Services Auerswalder Blick
(71) Chemnitz-Ost
Zschopaubrücke 90 m
(72) Frankenberg B 169
(planned)
(73) Hainichen
Talbrücke Kleine Striegis 357 m
(74) Berbersdorf
(75) Siebenlehn B 101
Talbrücke Freiberger Mulde 413 m
Rest area
Talbrücke Tännichtbach 190 m
(76) Nossen 3-way interchange A 14
Triebischtalbrücke 427 m
Triebischseitentalbrücke 349 m
Saubachtalbrücke 253 m
(77a) Wilsdruff
Services Dresdner Tor
(77b) Dresden-West 3-way interchange A 17 E55
(78) Dresden-Altstadt B 6
Elbebrücke 496 m
(79) Dresden-Neustadt
Unionbrücke 280 m
(80) Dresden-Wilder Mann
(81a) Dresden-Hellerau E55 B 170
(81b) Dresden-Flughafen
(82) Dresden-Nord 3-way interchange A 13 E55
Weixdorf (planned)
(83) Hermsdorf B 97
Rest area Grünberg
(84) Ottendorf-Okrilla
(85) Pulsnitz
(86) Ohorn
Rest area Ohorn
Grünbrücke 50 m
(87) Burkau
(88a) Uhyst am Taucher
Services Oberlausitz
(88b) Salzenforst
(89) Bautzen-West B 96
Spreetalbrücke 160 m
(90) Bautzen-Ost B 156
Rest area Purschwitz
(91) Weißenberg
Rest area Buchholz
(92) Nieder-Seifersdorf
Tunnel Königshainer Berge 3300 m
Rest area Kodersdorf
Talbrücke Weißer Schöps 303 m
(93) Kodersdorf B 115
(94) Görlitz B 6
(95) Görlitz border crossing
Neißebrücke 340 m

A 4
E40
Zgorzelec (Poland)
Location
CountryGermany
StatesNorth Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Saxony, Thuringia
Highway system
  • Roads in Germany
A 3 A 5
A 4 heading towards Aachen at inter-section with A 559 on the Cologne Beltway

Route edit

The A 4 west of Cologne

The western A 4 starts north-west of Aachen, where the Dutch A76 enters Germany. Initially it is 2 lanes each way with no speed limit. From Kreuz Aachen to Düren and from Kerpen to Refrath (between Refrath and Köln-Merheim) westbound the hard shoulder becomes the third lane at peak times. Between Kreuz Köln-West and Kreuz Heumar it forms the southern part of the Cologne Beltway (Kölner Autobahnring). The rest of the section between Kreuz Aachen and Kreuz Köln-West has a variable speed limit. Between Merzenich and Elsdorf, the speed limit is 130 km/h.[1] Between Kreuz Köln-West and Kreuz Heumar the speed limit is 120 km/h. From Kreuz Köln-Ost to Refrath the maximum speed is 100 km/h. The westbound section between Köln-Merheim and Kreuz Köln-Ost is restricted to 80 km/h. The section between Refrath and the terminus at Krombach has no speed limit. Between Untereschbach and Refrath westbound the limit is 100 km/h weekdays. It is mostly 2 lanes each way, but between Untereschbach and Wiehl, several climbing lanes operate in both directions.

The eastern part starts at the Kirchheim intersection (with the A 7) and goes through Eisenach, Gotha, Erfurt, Weimar, Jena, Gera, Chemnitz, Dresden and Bautzen to Görlitz, where it crosses to Poland and continues as A4.

The westernmost 11 kilometers of the A4 form the most easterly stretch of the European route E314: continuing east from the Aachen interchange (Kreuz Aachen), the A4 is part of European route E40. European routes don't have gaps and E 40 follows A 45 and A 5, which is a suitable route past the gap of A4.

In 1927, the first ideas planned connections between Aachen and Cologne, and additional connections between Erfurt and Breslau (Silesia). The first sections were built from 1934 to 1937 (between Chemnitz and Dresden). Just west of Eisenach was the Wartha-Herleshausen border checkpoint between East and West Germany. Eight kilometers down the road, after the Wommen interchange, the road crosses back into the former East Germany into Gerstungen (today in Thuringia) for seven kilometers before crossing back to the former West Germany at Wildeck. Because of that, the section between Wommen and Wildeck-Obersuhl interchanges was closed and fell into decay during the Cold War. It was bypassed by B 400. Repairs of those parts were scheduled to be completed in 2007. Reconstruction of the last section in Thuringia between Eisenach and Gotha near the former Inner German Border began in 2007 and required building 25 km (16 mi) of new road.[2] In 1999, the new tunnel at Königshain Hills (near Görlitz) was opened. In 2014, the section of A 4 between Cologne and Aachen was rerouted on a new 10.9-mile highway section near Kerpen. The abandonment of the old route was due to the expansion of coal mining in the Hambach open-pit mine.[3]

 
A 4 near Dresden, Saxony.

Wiehltalbrücke accident edit

The "Wiehltalbrücke" is a bridge that carries the A4 across the valley of the river Wiehl. The A4 near Gummersbach, North Rhine-Westphalia was the site of the then-most expensive traffic accident in German history: On 26 August 2004, a BMW M3, whose driver had no driving license and was later found to be driving under the influence, collided with a truck carrying 33,000 litres of gasoline. The truck crashed through a guardrail, fell off the Wiehltalbrücke and exploded, killing the driver. The subsequent fire caused severe structural damage to the bridge. The BMW driver was jailed for 22 months.[4]

The bridge was closed for weeks until temporary repairs were completed. Permanent repairs finished on 22 August 2006, using a method never before used in Germany.[5] Among other things a 20 m × 31 m segment was replaced while the bridge was closed. The repairs cost €7.2 million.

References edit

  1. ^ "Tempolimit auf der A4 bei Düren" (in German). WDR. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  2. ^ "VINCI preferred bidder for a motorway concession in Germany". VINCI. 27 August 2007. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  3. ^ "German Highway Rotting Away - No Cars Can Drive Here Anymore". www.msn.com. FOCUS Online. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Tatort Wiehltalbrücke: Unfallverursacher verurteilt". Faz.net (in German). FAZ. 14 September 2005. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Neues Brückensegment erfolgreich in Wiehltalbrücke eingehoben". www.strassen.nrw.de (in German). 13 July 2006. Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2020.

External links edit

  •   Media related to Bundesautobahn 4 at Wikimedia Commons
  •   Geographic data related to Bundesautobahn 4 at OpenStreetMap
  • Bundesautobahn 4 – detailed route plan (in German)