Drivers headed for the Koblenzer Tor passage will need to plan on a detour starting on Shrove Monday (February 28, 2022). It marks the start of a six-month renovation project by the Civil Engineering Service of the City of Bonn that will close the western passage to traffic.
Drivers approaching from Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz/Belderberg headed toward Bad Godesberg will be rerouted shortly before the gate into the left passageway. They will then be diverted back onto the right-hand lane before the turn-off onto Stockenstraße.
Traffic coming from the south headed toward the city center will instead need to follow a circuitous route: their detour runs via the Zweite Fährgasse, along the Rhine Promenade (Rathenauufer, Brassertufer) and the Rheingasse before returning to the B9.
Local (non-thru) traffic from the south headed to the USL or Kaiserplatz can use Adenauerallee until Stockenstraße. The rest of the way to Koblenzer Tor will then be closed.
This ensures Stockenstraße, the Marktgarage and main building can still be accessed from the B9 from either direction. Franziskanerstraße can only be reached via Stockenstraße and will dead-end until the works are complete.
Bicycles unaffected
Cyclists approaching from the south do not need to follow the detour along the banks of the Rhine. They can use instead the pedestrian path along the eastern gate passage.
Background: Hidden arch must be replaced
The works are required to repair massive structural damage to the road surface: a second passage for cars was added to the Koblenzer Tor in 1950. This required the University to sacrifice a section of its building. An existing cellar below the new passageway was left in place, however, as it contained a portion of the heating system. To bear the traffic, the cellar ceiling was reinforced with a steel beam construction. Over time, frost and road salt severely damaged the edifice, and routine inspections since 2015 have determined that its condition has further worsened.
There’s no simple fix: portions of the extensive heating unit were actually built right into the arch construction. For this reason, the city, the North Rhine-Westphalia state construction and real estate agency (Bau- und Liegenschaftsbetrieb NRW, BLB), and the University itself have decided to draw up plans to fully replace the arch.
The City now plans on placing a new bridge plate atop the existing structure. It is designed with its own independent structure, taking enough of the load so that the existing ceiling can remain in place for now. The clearance height of the Koblenzer Tor will be reduced by roughly 27 centimeters to 3.875 meters.
The renovation plans for the main building call for the heating system to be upgraded and potentially relocated, which would then allow for the removal of the old arch construction. These plans have not yet been finalized, however.
