Construction phase 2 for the redesign of the market square is underway
08.11.2021 – The redesign of Offenbach's market square is entering its second construction phase: on Thursday, November 11, work will begin in the Bieberer Straße / market square area. The city center with all its stores, doctors, restaurants and cafés as well as Wilhelmsplatz and the weekly market will remain accessible by all means of transport at all times during the construction work. Access to the parking garages is also guaranteed. However, the entrance to Bieberer Straße will be closed to all vehicles until probably spring 2022. A detour to Wilhelmsplatz and in all other directions will be signposted and will be via Geleitsstraße and Bleichstraße. Pedestrians can still pass through the area.
The renovation of the market square is an important milestone in the strengthening and further development of Offenbach's city center: it gives the heavily frequented entrance to the city center a quality of stay and a lively, urban flair. "The structural measure is urgently needed to create more incentives to visit our city centre - this has also been shown by the work on the city centre future concept," emphasizes Paul-Gerhard Weiß, Head of Building and Planning. "Both projects are central components of our overall strategy to strengthen Offenbach's city center. This will benefit the population and the retail sector as well as property owners." In order to quickly upgrade the market square in terms of urban development, the planned construction period has been shortened compared to plans from previous years, partly due to larger construction areas. Delays in the first construction phase, which was originally scheduled for completion in September 2021, were due to the significantly extended supply chains caused by coronavirus and the resulting need to reschedule deadlines with the construction companies. As a result, some of the work in construction phase 2 was brought forward.
In construction phase 2, the roadways at the intersection of Marktplatz and Bieberer Straße will be newly concreted and the sidewalks will be resurfaced. The parking garage will remain accessible during this time. Third-party measures are also taking place again: Utilities are renewing the drinking water pipe underground. "This modernization of the infrastructure in the ground is also of great importance for the city centre," says Weiß.
Weekly market and Wilhelmsplatz remain accessible to all
To ensure that the construction work is carried out quickly, the market square will remain closed to motorized private traffic during the first three construction phases until probably spring 2022. Only buses, cabs and delivery traffic with a special permit will still be able to drive through from Berliner Straße. During construction phase 2, cars and motorcycles will no longer be able to turn into Bieberer Straße from the south from 11.11.2021 until spring 2022. Individual traffic coming from this direction will reach the weekly market and Wilhelmsplatz via Bleichstraße during this time. The city has already lifted the closure of the side streets to calm traffic on Wilhelmsplatz, as these will be needed during the second construction phase due to the closed entrance to Bieberer Straße.
"Bleichstraße is a bicycle road where cyclists always have priority and a maximum speed limit of 30 km/h is permitted," explains Weiß. "This also applies during the detour." In principle, only residents are allowed to drive their cars on cycle streets; through traffic is not permitted. However, residents in Bleichstraße also include traffic heading to the weekly market and Wilhelmsplatz, i.e. customers and visitors to Wilhelmsplatz. "For these reasons, the detour concept envisages that only local traffic heading for Wilhelmsplatz and Bieberer Straße will be diverted via Bleichstraße. Anyone coming by car from the south and heading for destinations other than Wilhelmsplatz, for example Berliner Straße, will have to drive via Geleitsstraße and Kaiserstraße."
Coming from the north, the weekly market/Wilhelmsplatz can still be reached via Berliner Straße, Kaiserstraße, Rathenaustraße, Luisenstraße, Bismarckstraße, Waldstraße and Bleichstraße, coming from the east via Bismarckstraße, Waldstraße and Bleichstraße. The exit from Wilhelmsplatz onto Berliner Straße is via Bieberer Straße and Großer Biergrund. The exit to the south is still via Bleichstraße. The cab ranks are still located in front of Bieberer Straße 10-14. Signs at the intersections will indicate the closure over a wide area, and detour signs will direct private traffic to the city center.
Nothing will change for pedestrians compared to the first construction phase: they will still be able to walk along the construction site on both sides of the market square, and the width of the sidewalk will remain significantly reduced in some places. Cyclists will have to dismount at these narrow points. Access to the Marktplatz S-Bahn station and S-Bahn traffic will remain unaffected, and all bus connections will also be maintained. Only individual stops will be temporarily relocated and the replacement stops will be signposted accordingly (see separate announcement). Offenbacher Stadtmarketinggesellschaft (OSG) will provide a signposting system on site so that passers-by can always find their way to the temporary bus stops.
All residents affected by the construction work will be informed of all circumstances via the OSG's residents' representative, Nihad Moufadil. Head of Department Weiß asks for understanding from all those affected: "A major construction project always has an impact on traffic and residents, but we want to minimize the impact as much as possible - and we will all benefit from the result after the renovation."
The residents' representative, Ms. Nihad Moufadil, can be contacted by email: marktplatz-umbauoffenbachde
All information on the construction project and traffic routing during the individual construction phases can be found online at