New A14 feeder: million dollar project or risk for Schwerin?

New A14 feeder: million dollar project or risk for Schwerin?

The city of Schwerin and the Ludwigslust-Parchim district have big plans: a new access road to the A14 motorway in the south of the city is soon to be built. This transport connection is particularly important for the industrial park and is seen as a central component of the regional transport infrastructure. The city's main committee will decide on the plans on Tuesday, and if approved, construction could begin soon, reports daily news.

The first construction phase involves the construction of a municipal road between the industrial park and State Road 72. Further planning includes the construction of a district road from the municipal road to the motorway route. In addition, a new junction called “Schwerin Süd” will be set up. The estimated construction costs are around 32 million euros. Of this, around 3.4 million euros will be covered by the city of Schwerin and 1.5 million euros by the district, while the majority will be borne by the federal and state governments.

Economic Significance and Controversies

The IHK emphasizes the great importance of the feeder for the attractiveness of the location. For the Hamburg metropolitan region, the new feeder road could result in the greatest potential for industrial space with a motorway connection. This would not only benefit the new industrial park, but also support the existing commercial areas in Schwerin. Nevertheless, there are critical voices. The Alliance Greens describe the project as “absolutely dispensable” and have submitted an application to stop the planning, which was rejected by the city council Northern Courier reported.

The costs for the feeder have risen sharply in recent years: from an original 6 million euros in 2008 to 17 million euros now. The only thing that is still a long way off is the necessary funding commitments from the federal and state governments. Head of the building department Bernd Nottebaum (CDU) announced that he would submit a template with costs and financing by the summer. The CDU and AfD support the project for economic reasons, while the Green Alliance prefers a different approach.

Environmental aspects

Another point that cannot be missing from the discussion is the ecological aspect. Nine hectares of area will be sealed for the feeder and eight hectares of forest will be affected, which has met with criticism from environmental organizations. Nevertheless, the state government sees the motorway connection as an important opportunity to attract new investors in the region. The city of Schwerin expects funding, which could mean its own contribution could be between 6 and 10 million euros.

Overall, it remains to be seen what decision the main committee will make, but the project has the potential to significantly improve the transport infrastructure in Schwerin and advance the city's economic development. It remains exciting to see whether the plans can be turned into reality or whether the critics will have the last word.