Highway to hell? Plan for Germany's longest freeway sparks outrage. July 15, 2024

Vehicles drive on the A5 highway during sunset on the outskirts of Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on July 8, 2024. (Photo by Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP)

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Highway to hell? Plan for Germany's longest freeway sparks outrage.

A proposal to create Germany's longest freeway has provoked a backlash, with critics fearing that the "monstrosity" will increase climate-damaging emissions, worsen noise pollution, and damage biodiverse habitats.

The recommendation suggests widening a section of the A5 outside the western city of Frankfurt to 10 lanes, at an estimated cost of 1.1 billion euros (US$1.2 billion).

While proponents of the recommendation say it is necessary to cope with the expected increase in traffic on one of Germany's busiest stretches of highway, it has touched a sore spot amid growing concerns about the climate crisis.

Hans Christoph Stoodt, from a campaign group that is fighting the plans, described the idea as "completely crazy", adding that it would create a "monstrosity".

"The German government has pledged to make Germany climate neutral by 2045... and the same government is planning a 10-lane highway here," he told AFP.

"We need to expand public transport and drastically reduce private motorized transport powered by fossil fuels."

The proposal was presented in a feasibility study commissioned by the state-owned Autobahn GmbH, which manages the country's highways, and which was only made public in recent weeks under pressure from activists.

Since then, the authorities have been at pains to emphasize that they are still deciding what to do.

The Ministry of Transport in Berlin said that the study does not represent a final decision and will only be part of its considerations.

The affected stretch of about 30 kilometers (18 miles), from a junction near the city's airport to the northern town of Friedberg, currently has six or eight lanes.

The study argues that the extension is necessary to cope with the imminent increase in traffic volume.

The A5, which is already congested at peak times, is expected to become even more crowded, with around 200,000 cars expected on the road daily by 2030, according to the study.

But in addition to a possible increase in emissions, Stoodt listed several other problems that would be caused by widening the highway.

The houses next to the highway would have to be demolished to make way for the extra lanes, said the 69-year-old, who lives in the Griesheim area of Frankfurt, close to the highway.

Despite the high barriers lining the side of the highway aimed at reducing noise, the constant traffic noise is already above permitted levels and would only get worse with the widening, said Stoodt, whose group is called "It is too loud".

Stefan Gegner, who led the legal efforts to force Autobahn GmbH to release the study, lives in a house just 50 meters from the highway and says the traffic noise is already too loud.

If more lanes are added, he fears the noise will get worse and the barriers will reach his house. Meanwhile, the area would be turned into a construction site for several years.

"It's crazy, you wouldn't want to live there anymore," said the 53-year-old.

Stoodt is also concerned about the impact on nature in the local area, as the proposed expansion passes through an area that provides drinking water and is home to a bird sanctuary.

However, the study says that there are no "insurmountable environmental obstacles" to widening the highway.

In its conclusions, the study concludes that widening the section of the highway to 10 lanes is the only option examined that would "achieve sufficient capacity" to handle the expected increase in traffic.

A transportation plan produced by the federal government also envisages expanding sections of the A5, although the study suggests going further.

Messages from the authorities have been contradictory.

The Frankfurt city authorities have come out strongly against the widening of 10 lanes.

The government of the state of Hesse - where Frankfurt is located - has said it is not opposed to the idea, but only if the road is covered with some kind of protection to reduce noise.

However, the final decision rests with the transport ministry in Berlin, which is led by the pro-highway FDP party.

A spokeswoman for the ministry said that in addition to traffic flow, factors such as impacts on nature, air pollution, and noise will be taken into account.

But expansion has not been ruled out. A "general concept" will now be drawn up regarding any potential expansion, taking into account the feasibility study as well as other factors such as updated traffic studies, she said.

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