New plans presented for the reconstruction of the market square

"Sometimes things need a little time to come together," said Paul-Gerhard Weiß, head of the planning department, at the press conference on the market square conversion. The conversion was a difficult matter: until the initial plans were finalized, there was a lot of discussion with retailers, citizens and within the coalition. This was important because: "After all, this is an intervention in the heart of the city," emphasized Weiß. Broad support within politics and urban society is important for such projects. The initial plans, which also included a redesign of Bieberer Strasse, could not be realized for cost reasons. Only one construction company had applied for the tender last year and the offer was many times higher than the estimated project costs of around 5.1 million euros. For this reason, the city initially put the project on hold and commissioned the Office for Urban Planning, Transport and Construction Management to revise the plans.

A modified plan is now available, which has already been approved by the city council. The city parliament will discuss and decide on this on December 19. The new plan envisages that the central market square from Frankfurter Straße to Waldstraße and Geleitsstraße, excluding Bieberer Straße, will be rebuilt. "The goals are still the same. We want to improve the quality of life, make it easier for pedestrians to cross and reduce motorized individual traffic," explains project manager Wolfgang Strohl.

There will be a smooth transition between the market square and the pedestrian zone, with uniform paving and lowered kerbs. The lighting will be modern and uniform, benches and trees will invite people to linger, and wider sidewalks will encourage people to take a stroll. The road will be narrowed by two meters in sections. Bus and car through traffic will be allowed to continue, but at a reduced speed of 20 kilometers per hour. At the same time, bicycle traffic will be strengthened: cyclists will be allowed to ride against the direction of travel from Waldstraße to Frankfurter Straße and from the western side of Wilhelmsplatz to the market square. In a follow-up project, the northern section of the market square up to Berliner Straße will also be adapted as part of the local transport planning. Among other things, the barrier-free conversion of the bus stops and an additional bus lane are planned there. Cyclists will then be able to ride continuously from Waldstraße to Berliner Straße.

The current plans also include renewing the tent-roofed bus stop in front of the Schwanen pharmacy. The new construction is not intended to be "a classic bus stop", as Marcus Hüls, urban design specialist, emphasizes. It is intended to fulfill several functions: It will have benches built in towards the street for people waiting for the bus as well as benches facing the stores for resting and communicating. An electronic display board can also be integrated. The design of the steel structure of the new bus stop echoes the growth of the surrounding trees - with a trunk and a roof based on the foliage. It will provide rain protection for around 30 people. The Ottomar Gassenmeyer fountain will be repositioned on the Bieberer Straße / Marktplatz axis and put in the limelight. A new recreational area with seating elements is to be created around the fountain. New traffic lights are planned for the transition from Marktplatz to Bieberer Straße. The traffic island will be removed, as pedestrians will be able to cross the narrower road in one go. Weiß sums up the main aim of the renovation in one sentence: "The market square should become a square again and offer more space for pedestrians and cyclists."

A total of 5.4 million has been earmarked for the renovation of the market square. This will be financed with the remaining 940,000 euros in funding from the state's "Active inner city" program, around 1.2 million euros in income from street contributions and a further 3.2 million euros from the city's budget. The higher estimated costs are due to the continuing good economic situation in the construction industry, according to Weiß.

Subject to the upcoming resolution by the city council, the Office for Urban Planning, Transport and Construction Management plans to publish the tender in spring 2020. Provided the invitation to tender does not lead to any unexpected surprises in the new year, the renovation is set to begin in the fall of 2020 and will take place in ten construction phases, taking traffic and accessibility to the stores into account. It is expected to take 22 months. Even before construction begins, the utilities and waste disposal companies will have the opportunity to lay new lines or repair old ones. However, pipe work will also be carried out during the construction period. Offenbacher Stadtinformationsgesellschaft (OSG) is again planning construction site marketing with local businesses during the construction period.