Votes City of Bern | March 5, 2023
In June, voters in the city of Berne will probably decide on a loan of 9.7 million Swiss francs for the renovation of the Kornhaus Bridge. Furthermore, a credit line of CHF 110 million for work on the sewage systems over the next ten years will also be voted on.
The Kornhausbrücke was last renovated more than 20 years ago.Photo: Keystone, Alessandro della Valle
The city of Bern wants to carry out the renovation with the replacement of the tram tracks, which Bernmobil wants to realize in 2025. This allows synergies to be used and costs to be saved, as councilor Marieke Kruit (SP) said in the council. Alongside the Kirchenfeld Bridge, the Kornhaus Bridge is the most important high-rise steel bridge in the city of Bern and was built in 1897/1898. It was last extensively renovated a hundred years later.
The new construction work is scheduled to begin in early 2025 and be completed within a year. During the main renovation, the bridge will be closed to motorized traffic. The costs for the overall renovation amount to 27.7 million Swiss francs. Bernmobil takes over around two thirds of them.
Progress is also to be made in terms of sewage systems – the sum required here is more than ten times as high.Photo: Keystone, Georgios Kefalas
Also in terms of drainage plan: the people have the last word
In June, voters in the city of Bern approved a credit line of CHF 110 million. The city wants to make this amount available for work on the sewage systems over the next ten years. The City Council unanimously approved the bill.
It is financed via the special calculation for urban drainage. This is fed exclusively by sewage charges. According to the municipal council, the planned measures should be able to be financed without an increase in fees.
Defective or damaged
The municipal sewage systems include a 300-kilometer-long public sewage system and around 400 special structures, such as rainwater retention basins and pumping stations. An inventory revealed that various sewage systems are defective or damaged.
In September 2022, the city council approved CHF 6.7 million for the most urgent measures. The medium-term measures are to be financed with the framework credit, which is now coming before the people. For example, sewage pipes are to be renewed, rainwater tanks repaired, pumping stations renovated and drainage capacities increased.
