The Federal Ministry of Transport has confirmed: An additional clearance lane will be set up on the A12 in the area of the Frankfurt (Oder) checkpoint in the direction of Poland. The aim is to reduce the considerable traffic jams on the Polish side and improve the flow of traffic on the central east-west axis.
Since the introduction of stationary border controls, long tailbacks have regularly occurred far into Słubice. Commuters, freight forwarders and the cities of Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice have suffered massively as a result. Until now, the main cause has been the reduction of all traffic to one lane.
The future solution envisages freeing up the hard shoulder for HGVs. This means that the previous truck lane will be reserved exclusively for cars. Together with the overtaking lane, which will run in the direction of Berlin, a total of three lanes will be available in future. This will also enable two-way control from the central reservation.
Double city as a driving force for the solution
The administrative heads of the double city of Frankfurt (Oder)-Słubice, the Marshal's Office of the Lubuskie Voivodeship, the Euroregion "Pro Europa Viadrina", the East Brandenburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce and numerous business associations had repeatedly jointly pointed out the problem and called for a solution. Minister President Woidke had already taken up the suggestion of a temporary third lane during a visit to Lubuskie in February of this year and confirmed it in a letter to Federal Minister of the Interior Dobrindt in June.
"The fact that the federal government is now implementing this measure is a direct result of the persistent commitment of the administrations of both cities and the state of Brandenburg," emphasizes Mayor Claus Junghanns. "For the people in our region, this is an important signal that their concerns are being taken seriously."
Importance for the region
Although traffic jams at the border cannot be completely ruled out, the cities expect a noticeable improvement. The additional lanes will facilitate the movement of goods and people and also strengthen the economic attractiveness of the border region.
"The twin city and our entire region depend on smooth mobility – for commuters, businesses and for our shared urban life. We would like to thank all the institutions involved – the state government, the Federal Ministry of Transport and our local administrations – for their joint efforts," says Słubice Mayor Marzena Słodownik.