Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) – In view of new requirements, the Hessian Ministry of Transport is having some of the water law permits for the construction of Autobahn 49 in Central Hesse checked. This is to ensure that the later operation of the motorway does not have any harmful effects on the two bodies of water Klein and Ohm, as Minister Tarek Al-Wazir announced in Wiesbaden on Friday. The ongoing construction work to close the gap in the motorway should remain unaffected.
According to the information, the Ohm and the Klein, which flows into it, should absorb rainwater from the A49 roadway after the completion of the motorway. Such street sewage also regularly contained substances from car exhaust gases as well as tire and brake dust, the ministry said. The investigations carried out after the planning approval procedure in 2020 would have shown that the quantities to be expected would not significantly affect the quality of the two surface waters. In the meantime, however, the Research Society for Roads and Traffic has defined new standards for such calculations on the basis of a long-term research process.
“As a precautionary measure, we have therefore requested the project company Deges, which is responsible for the construction, to recalculate,” explained Al-Wazir. “It must be proven that the water quality of the Klein and Ohm is not impaired. Depending on the result, technical adjustments to the drainage facilities may also be necessary.”
The A49 should connect Giessen and Kassel more directly. The gap closure of the Autobahn in central Hesse has been under construction since 2021. The work should be finished in 2024. The new route is controversial – in autumn 2020 there were violent protests by environmentalists against the necessary forest clearing.
