Kreuz Kaiserberg

Kreuz Kaiserberg

The Ruhr.2010 "Still-Leben" event at the interchange
Location
Duisburg, Germany
Coordinates: 51°26′30″N 6°48′20″E / 51.44167°N 6.80556°E / 51.44167; 6.80556Coordinates: 51°26′30″N 6°48′20″E / 51.44167°N 6.80556°E / 51.44167; 6.80556
Roads at
junction:
Construction
Type: Spaghetti Junction
Lanes: 2x3/2x4
Opened: 1966/1969/1974
Map

The Kreuz Kaiserberg (German: Autobahnkreuz Kaiserberg) is a spaghetti junction in the Metropolitan region Rhein-Ruhr in the German state Northrhine-Westphalia.

The interchange forms the connection between the A3 Dutch border near Elten-Oberhausen-Frankfurt am Main- Austrian border south of Passau with the A40 (Ruhrschnellweg) Venlo-Dortmund.[1]

Geography

The interchange lies in the city Duisburg, it is called after the 75 metre high Kaiserberg. To the west lies the district Duissern and south of the interchange is the Duisburg Zoo. North of the interchange lie the river Ruhr and the harbour of Duisburg. Nearby cities are Mülheim an der Ruhr and Oberhausen. It lies approximately 3 km east of the city centre of Duisburg.

History

The building of the interchange began in the early 1960s. The first part opened in 1966, with the opening, in parts, between April and June 1969 wsa the link with the eastern part of the Ruhrschnellwegs (before B 60) open for traffic. In 1974 the western part of the link between the A40 and the A3 was the Kreuz Duisburg totally ready. .[2]

Until April 1992 was die A40 east of the Kreuz Kaiserberg known as A430 and west of it as A2. Northbound towards Kreuz Oberhausen the A2 together with the A3 . Back then the official name of Autobahnkreuz was Duisburg-Kaiserberg, in 1992 the renamed it into Kaiserberg, this was because of the nearby exit Duisburg-Kaiserberg and Autobahnkreuz Duisburg-Kaiserberg and a double nbering if an autobahn like (A2/A3) was also not allowed.

In May 2010, the interchange was the scene of an unusual accident: a car travelling over one of its bridges broke through the concrete barrier and fell onto the A3 below. The car's 46 year old driver was severely injured, and had to be rescued by the fire brigade. The driver of another car, travelling along the A3, was slightly injured, as he was unable to brake in time and crashed into the fallen car.[3]

On 18 July 2010, a 60 km (37 mi) stretch of the A40 between Dortmund and Duisburg was closed for the Ruhr.2010 European Capital of Culture project "Still-Leben" ("Still Life"). As part of that event, several hundred thousand people gathered at Kreuz Kaiserberg to celebrate Ruhr.2010. In the centre of the intersection was a Ruhr.2010 installation by German-based American artist Rita McBride modelled on the Delicate Arch in Utah, USA. The gathering has been described as "the most beautiful traffic jam Kreuz Kaiserberg has ever had". It was the first time since 1973 that pedestrians had been permitted to roam the interchange without being endangered by traffic.[4][5]

Building form

As a "Spaghetti junction", the interchange was built in an unusual way. Due to the narrow angle in which the motorways cross, the connecting lanes had to be built in a small space en d the a lay south of the main bridge in the interchange.

Road configuration

Th A 3 is near the interchange build as 2x3 lane motorway, but between the entrance en the exit of the interchange as a 2x2 motorway. The A40 is since 2014 between the interchanges Duisburg and Kaiserberg, only in the direction Eesen widened to 4 lanes without a hard shoulder. The westbound lane between Kreuz Kaiserberg end Kreuz Duisburg is marked as highly urgent for widening into 4 lanes. Towards Essen the road has 2x4 lanes.

Traffic near the interchange.

Approximately 205.000 used the interchange on a daily basis in 2010.

From To Average daily traffic Percentage of heavy traffic[6]
AS Oberhausen-Lirich (A 3) AK Kaiserberg
126.800
13,1 %
AK Kaiserberg AS Duisburg-Wedau (A 3)
97.600
11,3 %
AK Duisburg (A 40) AK Kaiserberg
101.300
12,8 %
AK Kaiserberg AS Duisburg-Kaiserberg (A 40)
85.300
8,3 %

The portion of the A40/A44 between the Kreuz Kaiserberg and Kreuz Werl is traditionally one of the most congested sections of Autobahn in Germany.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "AK Kaiserberg". Autobahnkreuze & Autobahndreiecke in Deutschland. 2011. Retrieved 2013-05-19.
  2. ↑ Andreas Schreiber: Autobahn — Geschichtliches und Philosophisches in: im blickpunkt, Jahrgang 14, Ausgabe 1987 Nr.1 Hrsg. LV Rheinland Köln
  3. ↑ Staff writer (3 May 2010). "Schlimmer Unfall: Auto stürzt von Autobahnbrücke auf A3" [Bad accident: Car plunges from Autobahn bridge onto the A3]. Die Welt. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  4. ↑ Staff writer (16 July 2010). "Schlagader des Reviers steht still". Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  5. ↑ Schwerdtfeger, Christian (6 August 2013). "Geheimnisvolle Orte (7): Als der Spaghetti-Knoten autofrei war" [Mysterious Places (7): When the spaghetti junction was carfree]. Rheinische Post (RP Online). Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "Manuelle Verkehrszählung BAB 2010". BASt Statistik. 2010. Retrieved 2012-11-05. (PDF-Datei; 336 KB)
  7. ↑ Staff writer (16 October 2009). "Koalition will Standstreifen bei Stau freigeben" [Coalition wants the release of the emergency lane during congestion]. Die Welt. Retrieved 26 December 2015.

Further reading

External links

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