Airport region's economy increasingly slowed down by infrastructure bottlenecks

Potsdam, February 23, 2024: There is an urgent need for action in planning the transport infrastructure around the airport and Tesla region. This is shown by the joint "Traffic and Bottleneck Analysis Airport Surroundings and Tesla Region" by the Municipal Working Group Dialogue Forum Airport Berlin Brandenburg and the Berlin-Brandenburg Chambers of Industry and Commerce. Freeways and junctions along the federal highways are under increasing pressure due to changing conditions. Rising passenger numbers, dynamic development of the surrounding area as a result of a growing population and new commercial settlements such as Tesla are leading to a further sharp increase in commuter and freight traffic. The study, including a catalog of measures, provides an insightful overview of where exactly problems are already occurring today or will occur by 2040 and where the necessary focus of action for road, rail and public transport should be now.

Traffic volumes have been increasing sharply again since 2021. Current counts are already 20 to 70 percent higher than the data basis previously used by the state and federal governments. "Overall, a traffic level has already been reached today that requires increased measures to control, avoid and shift traffic to other modes of transport in order to manage the rapidly growing future bottlenecks in the airport and Tesla region," emphasizes Bertram Teschner, Managing Director of the traffic planning office SPV Spreeplan Verkehr Berlin GmbH, which was commissioned to prepare the study.

Congestion is evident, for example, on the A 10 east of the Schönefelder Kreuz junction due to overlapping commercial and commuter traffic - in particular from the Tesla factory or at the traffic junctions Schönefeld Nord, Rangsdorf Kienitzer Straße, on the B 96a and near Teltow. Growth rates of 42 percent on the A 10 (East) and 61 percent on the A 113 (North) by 2040 make it clear that the traffic situation will worsen dramatically. "The state roads can only absorb the high volumes of traffic on the freeways to a limited extent," says Teschner. The enormous increase in truck traffic on the A 13 between Schönefelder Kreuz and Lausitz also requires a quick start to planning for an additional lane of the highway.

"The traffic situation will become much worse by 2040. Further growth requires investment in infrastructure. A future plan for managing traffic in the airport and Tesla region is urgently needed so that the economy is not slowed down and the neighboring municipalities are not overburdened," says General Manager André Fritsche of the Cottbus Chamber of Industry and Commerce on behalf of the Brandenburg Chambers of Industry and Commerce.

Robert Rückel, Vice President of the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce emphasizes: "The enormous economic attraction of the airport area can only develop properly if investments are made now in an adequate transport infrastructure. After all, the airport region is not an island. It would be downright absurd not to take the logical next step after investing billions in an airport for the metropolitan region in order to fully exploit the potential for the region. The most urgent projects include the extension of subway line 7 from Rudow to BER, especially for commuters, as well as the expansion of the Ostbahn, so that the growing transit traffic can be shifted from truck to rail."

"The municipalities in the airport region are already feeling the effects of traffic congestion today, but it must be in our interest to keep passenger and commercial traffic running," says Andreas Igel, Mayor of Ludwigsfelde and Chairman of the Airport Berlin Brandenburg Dialogue Forum. "As municipalities, we are particularly called upon to implement strong mobility and neighborhood concepts and to offer commuters an attractive public transport service in order to relieve commuter traffic on the roads. It is important that all stakeholders are aware of this analysis and incorporate it into their tasks in a binding manner. Preventive measures and investments in the infrastructure must be planned now with the state and federal government and the transport companies so that the situation does not become overwhelming for everyone after 15 years."

Demands

The demands include the fastest possible upgrading and expansion of the A 10 on the entire southern Berlin ring road from the Potsdam junction via the Schönefelder Kreuz junction to the Spreeau junction as well as the entire A 12 east of the Spreeau junction to Frankfurt (Oder). The construction of electronic sign gantries over the A 10 and A 12 highways to control traffic and as a prerequisite for the temporary opening of the hard shoulder in traffic jam situations could be implemented in the short term and would have rapid effects. The top priority should be to strengthen the railways. This requires the acceleration of infrastructure expansion on the important rail routes to and from Berlin, such as the Dresdner Bahn between Berlin Südkreuz and Rangsdorf, which is currently under construction. In addition, an expansion of the Anhalter Bahn from Berlin to Jüterbog and the Görlitzer Bahn from Berlin to Königs Wusterhausen is absolutely essential. According to a transport study, the number of rail passengers can be expected to triple by 2040 if there is an efficient rail service. The expansion of the Ostbahn is a key project to strengthen freight transport by rail.

Recommended measures for road traffic

1. Restore continuous monitoring (repair permanent counting points on freeways)
2. Optimize/establish traffic control on freeways (gantries, speed control, warnings)
3. Refurbish the A 10 around the Schönefeld junction to 4 lanes (possibly open up the hard shoulder at peak times)
4. Restore the A 10 around the Schönefeld junction to 4 lanes (possibly open up the hard shoulder at peak times)
5. Restore traffic control on freeways (gantries, speed control, warnings). release of hard shoulder at peak times)
6. Widening of A 12, 3 lanes (east of Spreeau junction)
7. Widening of A 13, 3-lane (south of the Schönefeld junction)
8. Construction of the Kiekebusch interchange (to relieve the communities east of the A 113)
9. Optimization of traffic flow on the A 100/A 113 (avoidance of tunnel closure)
10. Optimization of identified junctions (Schönefeld Süd, Schönefeld Nord, Waltersdorf, Rangsdorf, KW, Großbeeren, etc.)
11. Optimization of identified junctions (Schönefeld Süd, Schönefeld Nord, Waltersdorf, Rangsdorf, KW, Großbeeren, etc.)
12. Optimization of traffic flow on the A 100/A 113 (avoidance of tunnel closure)w.)
13. AS Schönefelder Seen as a basic building block for commercial development and airport development
14. Removal of level crossings with barriers.

Recommended measures for rail and bus transport

1. Expansion of regional transport services in order to absorb traffic from the road
2. Increase the reliability of public transport (punctuality, connections, information)
3. Establish infrastructural requirements for rail transport (Anhalter Bahn, KW station)
4. Build extension of the U7 line via Schönefeld to BER
5. Establish and implement mobility concepts in the municipalities (bike/bus/rental systems)
6. Expand bus services: New development of commercial areas and improved service to railroad stations (short transfer times, direct and synchronized lines such as PlusBus as well as establishing financial viability for rural districts
7. Increasing attractiveness through Park&Ride offers at Brandenburg railroad stations
8. Developing/testing/implementing new forms of mobility
9. Shifting heavy goods traffic to rail, expanding the Eastern Railway to accommodate transit freight traffic.

The current study on the internet:
The transnational IHK traffic and bottleneck analysis BER and the surrounding area from 2019 has been updated with the current study and placed on a broader data basis. It can be found at these links:
www.dialogforum-ber.de/seite/518274/verkehrsanalyse.html
www.cottbus.ihk.de/verkehrsanalyse-flughafenumfeld-teslaregion