The Autobahn GmbH wants to expand the A4 autobahn between the Cologne-Süd and Cologne-Gremberg motorway junctions from currently six to eight lanes – since the Rodenkirchen bridge cannot withstand this expansion, the listed building is threatened with demolition. The Rodenkirchen CDU wants to prevent this and has therefore developed an alternative proposal that is available exclusively to the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger”.
The federal government should examine the construction of a tunnel under the Rhine through which the eight lanes of the A4 would lead. The Rodenkirchen bridge would then not have to be torn down and could be freed from car traffic. The district chairman of the CDU Rodenkirchen and member of the state parliament, Oliver Kehrl, imagines a green bridge for pedestrians and cyclists, similar to a “living bridge”.
“The Rodenkirchener Brücke has a symbolic character as a landmark of the district,” says Kehrl. Instead of demolishing it, it is essential to think about a modern alternative use. The former “High Line” freight train route in the US metropolis of New York, which was converted into a park between 2006 and 2019, is to serve as a model. The CDU commissioned an architect with the first drafts to show the potential. In addition to a wide promenade and green areas with generous seating, sports fields, cafés and so-called pop-up stores – i.e. makeshift retail stores – could also be built. “If there were something like this in the middle of the Rhine, it would be a completely new attraction that would attract people far beyond the city,” says Kehrl. Cologne needs such visions for the future.
Cafés and sports fields could be built on Rodenkirchener Brücke.
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“A tunnel under the Rhine would be more expensive than building a new bridge, but we would kill two birds with one stone,” says Kehrl. That is why he is committed to examining whether the federal government would promote this solution. The city would have to invest the money for the conversion of the bridge – but it is also conceivable that citizens – similar to New York – would contribute financially with donations in order to be able to implement the project.
The topic of transport should also play a central role. This would create a generous cycle path connection between Rodenkirchen and Poll. The CDU Rodenkirchen also proposes that low-noise, electric-powered minibuses drive over the bridge in order to connect the two sides of the Rhine at this point using local public transport.
Prevent traffic collapse around Cologne
There would still be plenty of time to convert the Rodenkirchen Bridge. The Autobahn GmbH assumes that the eight-lane expansion of the A 4, including a new bridge, can only be tackled at the end of the decade. The Leverkusen Bridge and Bonn’s North Bridge would first have to be rebuilt and opened to traffic in order to prevent a traffic collapse around Cologne. Ideally, the connection between the A 59 and A 555 motorways, known as the Rheinspange, should then also be present. The exact route has not yet been determined – it is also unclear whether another bridge is to be built south of the Rodenkirchen bridge. Alternatively, a tunnel under the Rhine is also being discussed there.
The 570 meter long Rodenkirchen Bridge was built in 1941 and rebuilt after being damaged in the war in 1954. In 1994 it was expanded and received a “twin building”. The idea of demolishing the structure had caused criticism from both local residents and conservationists. The former city curator Ulrich Krings had suggested that only the extension of the bridge built 30 years ago should be demolished and the historical part should be left standing. In addition, a “discreet, filigree new building” could then be built. “That would have the charm of releasing the original structure and preserving it in its traditional beauty,” said Krings in January. City curator Thomas Werner sees a complete demolition – as the Autobahn GmbH envisions – as a contradiction to all requirements for the sustainability of buildings. He can therefore envisage another expansion of the two existing bridge sections.
In principle, it would also be possible to lift the monument protection, as is the case with the Melanbogen Bridge over the Sieg between Sankt Augustin-Menden and Troisdorf-Friedrich-Wilhelms-Hütte in the Rhein-Sieg district. Although the building is also a listed building, it will be demolished and rebuilt.
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