Marketplace conversion moves to the next construction phase on April 14
08.04.2022 – The reconstruction of the market square will enter its third construction phase on Thursday, April 14, 2022. From this date, Wilhelmsplatz and the weekly market will once again be accessible from the south via Bieberer Straße. Drivers can turn off there directly from Waldstraße; the detour via Bleichstraße will no longer be necessary.
"We are delighted that the next major construction phase to upgrade the market square is now underway and that traffic will be less disrupted at the same time," says Paul-Gerhard Weiß, Head of Building and Planning. Overall, the traffic situation in the city center and on the detour route for the market square has eased noticeably after the unforeseen construction sites, including a burst water pipe in Kaiserstrasse in March. "If there are no further unforeseen circumstances, the renovation will be completed in fall 2022," says Weiß. Delivery problems with the building materials and unforeseen obstacles in the subsoil had delayed the implementation of the measure somewhat in the meantime.
Stores, restaurants and building entrances remain accessible
In mid-April 2022, Energienetze Offenbach GmbH (ENO) will initially be carrying out civil engineering work. It is renewing the main power line between the market square on the side of the Schwanen pharmacy (west side) and Geleitsstraße. The Zweckverband Wasserversorgung Stadt und Kreis Offenbach (ZWO) is also laying new water pipes there. The temporary lane for buses will be removed. City buses, cabs and delivery traffic approved by the public order office will then be able to drive on the newly constructed concrete roadway.
Pedestrians can continue to walk along the construction site on both sides of the market square. Due to the construction site area, however, the width of the sidewalk on the west side will have to be reduced. The pedestrian area is protected from the construction site, where barriers will be erected as a boundary.
Following this, the last section of the new concrete roadway at the market square will be completed and the pedestrian areas from Frankfurter Straße to Große Marktstraße will be newly paved.
During the third construction phase, which is expected to be completed in summer 2022, stores, restaurants and building entrances will remain accessible throughout. "Wherever the work is taking place, the companies carrying out the work will coordinate directly with those affected on site," announces Weiß.
Passage ban on the market square still in force
The market square itself will remain closed to private traffic after April 14, 2022. Retractable bollards are planned for traffic calming on Wilhelmsplatz. Planning is currently underway. Residents, businesses, restaurants and market vendors will be informed in the summer. Construction of the facility is expected to begin in the fall.
The current traffic ban from Berliner Straße is intended to ensure that the construction work progresses quickly and to ensure the safety of the construction workers. Large-scale detour signs will guide road users safely into the city center, to the weekly market and Wilhelmsplatz as well as to the parking lots. The bus routes, on the other hand, can once again run in both directions via the market square and most of the regular bus stops are back in operation (see separate announcement).
In detail, this means for individual traffic: Coming from the north, the route will be via Kaiserstraße, Rathenaustraße, Bismarckstraße and Waldstraße in the direction of Wilhelmsplatz, which, like the weekly market, will once again be accessible from the south from Waldstraße via Bieberer Straße. From the east, Bismarckstraße and Waldstraße will lead to the city center.
Of course, the parking garages in the city center - Waldstraße parking lot, Q parking lot, Geleitsstraße parking lot and the KOMM-Center parking lot - will remain accessible throughout the entire project. The cab stops are located at Bieberer Straße 10-14 and Berliner Straße near the "Marktplatz" S-Bahn stop.
