The city administration has submitted a corresponding proposal to the political bodies for a statement, on which the Bonn City Council is to make a final decision on September 4, 2025.
Autobahn GmbH intends to rebuild the North Bridge and widen it from the current four lanes to six lanes (plus one interchange lane and one hard shoulder in each direction) between the Bonn-Auerberg and Bonn-Beuel junctions, as envisaged in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan last adopted in 2016. In contrast, in connection with the planned expansion of the A59 and A565 (Tausendfüßler), the City of Bonn has already expressed to Autobahn GmbH and the Cologne district government as the planning approval authority that an expansion of the existing infrastructure by additional lanes is viewed critically and rejected.
Mayor Katja Dörner on the administration's proposal: "The North Bridge should be renewed quickly and cost-effectively and not widened to twice its current width. Because a wider highway means more traffic, heat and noise in Bonn as well as less living space and green areas. The federal government would be better off allocating its limited resources to the much more urgently needed expansion of the rail network. That would also be a more attractive alternative for the many commuters in Bonn and the region."
For the city of Bonn, the A565 is a so-called urban highway. Its further expansion will have a negative impact on the urban climate and lead to an increase in noise pollution for citizens. The expansion of the highway could lead to a further increase in traffic volume instead of relieving traffic congestion. The expansion would bring the highway even closer to the residential buildings in the north of Bonn, and some houses would have to make way for the expansion.
The city administration believes that the traffic volumes used in the 2016 Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan as the basis for the expansion of the A565 are no longer up to date. This is underlined by the current results of the "Mobility in Germany" (MiD) survey, according to which the share of motorized private transport in the distances travelled in Bonn fell from 41% in 2017 to 30% in 2023.
Attractive cycling connection as an alternative
The city of Bonn has registered a route via the Nordbrücke bridge for the first state-wide requirement plan for fast cycle connections. The municipalities of the Rhein-Sieg district have also registered a fast cycle route with a direct connection to the route on Bonn territory. This route is currently being examined by the Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia for the redrafting of the requirements plan for high-speed cycle connections.
A four-metre-wide cycle path could be created along the north bridge. Pedestrian traffic would be safe on its own 2.50 meter wide path. This connection would be planned and funded by the state of NRW.
If implementation by the state of NRW is not possible, the administration also proposes a separation of pedestrian and cycle traffic, but with a somewhat narrower cycle path. In this case, refinancing via federal funding could be considered.
City planning officer Helmut Wiesner on the planned cycle connection: "In future, a central commuter route for cycle traffic could run along the northern bridge, connecting the western and eastern Rhine-Sieg districts and Bonn. A sufficiently wide cycle path along the northern bridge would be a very attractive option for switching to the bike. The renewal of the North Bridge represents an opportunity of the century to realize this connection."
Once the Council has passed a resolution, the City of Bonn will defend this position in the upcoming consultations with Autobahn GmbH and the planning approval procedure.