Fundamental expansion of Meißner Straße in Radebeul from 4 September

One of the longest bottlenecks in the network of Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG (DVB) will soon be tackled: next Monday, 4 September, the civil engineering department of the city of Radebeul, together with DVB, will begin with the urgently needed fundamental expansion of Meißner Straße between the Radebeul-Ost track loop and the junction with Eduard-Bilz-Straße.

Over a length of around 780 metres, the worn traffic system will be completely rebuilt. Not only the tracks, overhead lines, carriageways and pavements will be renewed. The heavily travelled section on the main axis through Radebeul will also receive cycle lanes, new street lighting and barrier-free stops on Hauptstrasse and Zinzendorfstrasse with modern passenger information systems. At the same time, SachsenNetze, on behalf of Stadtwerke Elbtal GmbH, and Wasser Abwasser Betriebsgesellschaft Radebeul+Coswig mbH are renewing their underground supply and disposal lines.

"Even though construction work is never pleasant, we are all the more pleased about the positive effects on our municipal infrastructure and traffic," says Radebeul's First Mayor Jörg Müller. "The modernisation will not only improve transport connections, but also contribute to an upgrading of the urban environment." DVB Board Member Andreas Hemmersbach is also relieved that the section of line is now being modernised: "We will gain many minutes on Line 4 after the construction work, which will make our timetable more attractive and the operation of our tram more efficient."

Construction time of 14 months in two sections

The planned construction period extends over two construction phases until November 2024, during which time replacement buses will run on tram line 4 from Radebeul-Ost to Weinböhla. The first construction phase should be completed by spring 2024 and covers the area from Schillerstraße to August-Bebel-Straße. The Meißner Straße/August-Bebel-Straße/Zinzendorfstraße junction will be closed during this time.

A diversion will be set up via Kiefernstraße, Sidonienstraße, Pestalozzistraße and Schildenstraße in the direction of Dresden. In the direction of Dresden, traffic will flow via Schildenstraße, Pestalozzistraße, Hauptstraße, Gartenstraße, Seestraße and Forststraße.

In the following second section, the construction workers will focus on the western part of the route. A diversion will then be made in both directions via Zinzendorfstraße, Sidonienstraße, Pestalozzistraße and Schildenstraße.

More than two-thirds of the public transport expansion is subsidised

The estimated construction costs amount to around 14 million euros. Of this, around 8.2 million euros will be invested in local public transport by the federal and state governments and the Upper Elbe Transport Association (VVO), for which a subsidy of 5.9 million euros is expected. The remaining costs incurred by DVB will be borne by the district of Meißen in accordance with the investment protection agreement. The city of Radebeul's share of the costs, which is not backed by funding, amounts to 4.2 million euros, with the remainder split between the media companies.

Significant journey time savings and increased efficiency

The elimination of a total of five low-speed sections on the affected section of line will save a total of 256 minutes of travelling time per day, i.e. more than four hours. "This means that each tram on line 4 can be accelerated by three minutes on the outward and return journey," says DVB Board Member Andreas Hemmersbach. "That's a very high figure, which in the long term could also lead to the saving of an entire train without thinning out the ten-minute interval if the condition of the line is improved further down the line."

In 2022, Line 4 recorded a 2.1 per cent increase in demand compared to 2018 despite the coronavirus pandemic, with around 37,600 passengers on weekdays and just under 8,000 passengers on the section to Weinböhla, which is served every 30 minutes.

Minimal impact on the surroundings

The tree population will only be adjusted slightly in the course of the modernisation: While three trees will have to be felled, nine new trees can be planted at the August-Bebel-Straße/Meißner Straße junction.

In addition to the traffic adjustments, the design of the square at this important junction will be upgraded and the listed transformer house will be renovated. The construction experts want to install the new traffic light control system and a cable distribution cabinet for DVB here.