Hessen to Renovate 450 Kilometers of State Roads by 2030
Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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New plan
- Hessen plans to invest 850 million euros in its state roads by 2030, focusing on renovating 450 kilometers of existing routes.
- The initiative aims to ensure well-maintained roads, particularly benefiting rural areas and ensuring equal living conditions across the state.
- Priorities include traffic safety, road width, and the condition of rural roads used by heavy traffic, with 333 projects identified.
Hessen is set to invest 850 million euros in its state roads by 2030, with a primary focus on renovating approximately 450 kilometers of the existing network. Transport Minister Kaweh Mansoori (SPD) announced the initiative in Wiesbaden, highlighting that 383 million euros are allocated for this new maintenance program.
The people in the state rely on roads that are easy to drive on.
Bridges are also a key focus, with around 177 million euros earmarked for their repair. Mansoori emphasized the importance of well-maintained roads for the state's residents and for ensuring equal living conditions between rural and urban areas. He stated the program specifically addresses the needs of regions like Vogelsberg, ensuring they are valued as much as the Rhein-Main area.
This program particularly addresses the promise of the state government to ensure equal living conditions in the countryside and in the city.
The Ministry of Transport explained that around 2,000 potential measures were evaluated using a criteria catalog, with traffic safety, such as road grip, being a top priority. Torsten Bertram from Hessen Mobil noted that road grip can decrease with age. Economic efficiency also plays a larger role than before in prioritizing projects, benefiting narrow rural roads under seven meters wide that experience heavy truck traffic and are in poor condition.
This can decrease with the increasing age of the road surface.
According to the ministry, 333 projects made the priority list, with 207 already underway. A particular emphasis will be placed on renovating town entrances. Bertram described these as the "classic bad town entrance, which is bumpy and loud."
That is classically the bad town entrance, which is bumpy and loud.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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