Since July 1, the Tunnel has been closed in the northbound direction. The city urgently needs to renovate the underpass after it was severely damaged by a truck fire two years ago and only temporarily repaired. Around 100,000 vehicles per direction pass through the tunnel daily. Now traffic is to be diverted to other roads for a month – with noticeable consequences.
On the first morning, traffic backed up on Garmischer Strasse, which serves as an alternative route, as well as on Fürstenrieder Strasse. The traffic app reported a ten-minute delay. Plinganser Strasse was also heavily congested, with drivers losing 13 minutes according to the app. The city had adjusted traffic light timings and opened additional lanes, but the effect was initially absent.
The CSU sharply criticized the timing of the closure. City councillor Veronika Mirlach called it a ‘total catastrophe.’ The parliamentary group requested an urgent debate in the city council. They had demanded that the renovation not be carried out in July, as numerous other construction sites are simultaneously hindering traffic – including the renovation of the Donnersberger Bridge and the bridge on Dachauer Strasse, as well as the closure of the U-Bahn lines U3 and U6. Residents in the west of the city are ‘at their limit,’ Mirlach said.
Mobility Commissioner Georg Dunkel defended the timing: The renovation was not possible at any other time. Last year, the construction site for the tram tangent blocked the alternative route. In August, the Munich–Starnberg railway line will be closed, so the ring must be kept free as an alternative route. The Greens and the SPD showed understanding. The Mobility Department announced it would monitor the traffic situation and adjust if necessary.
Source: www.sueddeutsche.de
