Effnerplatz tunnel opens

Yesterday the mayor of Munich, Christian Ude, openened the Effner tunnel, which runs under Effnerplatz on the mittlerer ring.

The tunnel is part of an ongoing series of works to reduce congestion on the mittlerer ring. Cost to the city: 25 million euros.

The effnertunnel is 102 metres long (which equates to €245,000 per metre..).

However, we can still expect ongoing delays on this section of the ring - the main Richard-Strauss tunnel (1500m long) will not open until 2009.

The area above the tunnel will eventually be home to the massive statue entitled "Mae West", by sculptress Rita McBride.

The first tunnel to be built in this series of works, the petueltunnnel, which runs along the north side of the city, has since become a notorious accident-hotspot.

That rather surprises me. Any links or statistics? I have heard of maybe ten accidents in the six years it's been open.

nope, just hearsay - feel free to moderate!

finally, but patients are still coming late due to traffic jams.

Saw last weekend, they were renting out the tunnel for parties. Looked really cool!

Oh sure, now that I don't have to drive that way to work anymore

Crosslink to Mittler Ring Tunnel Building Info thread with Mae West Statue (I like it)

only the tunnel is finished, but the side stuff and the ugly statue is not ready yet.

Brilliant ... tunnel and notorious accident blackspot ... so lets rebuild it .. so they did ... now sticking up a bit of "modern art" ... which will distract many and it will become an accident blackspot again ... as I say brilliant!

[quote name='Wundertüte' post='798923' date='Dec 21 2006, 12:50 pm']has since become a notorious accident-hotspot.[/quote]

Saw last weekend, they were renting out the tunnel for parties. Looked really cool!
[/quote]

No wonder there's lots of accidents, all them drunken party goers stumbling around the traffic!

As long as they don't go all prude and think that they have to put a tasty dress on Mae West.
She so ruled!!!
Mae West quotations

I drove through the tunnel (heading south) for the first time today. It felt so natural that I'm surprised they hadn't built it that way from the start. You have to pay attention on the way out as you share a lane with the guys who didn't use the tunnel. Same thing applies going north; I was on the "high" road and had to merge into the lane with cars leaving the tunnel - you don't have over-much room to do so. Keep your eyes open as you go down in slope to get a head-start on anyone below you, or to slow down until there's room for you.

We went on it yesterday, which seemed exciting to begin with as I had watched them start building it. I got in and it was "oh, a tunnel". I dunno really what I was expecting.

Anyway, one thing that I think was pretty poor... Coming out of the tunnel heading north, there is a bit of a "yump". Fine if you are at the speed limit but anyone joyriding and going crazy speeds is likely to lose grip and possibly crash. Also, I have to go back and check this out, but I think the slip road (from the high road) filters in exactly at the blind spot created by the yump.

We were both in a bit of shock that they had designed it like this.

I will have to go back and see how fast you have to go in a MKII Golf to lose some weight over the yump... Fast yumps are always fun

Thank you for not putting my evaluation down to the fact that "women can't drive" but pointing out a real planning error. I'll do the yump next time I go north.

moan all you like about the tunnels but they keep those metallic killing machines we call cars away from pedestrians and cyclists and leave central munich a relatively unpolluted place to be. Now, if I was Ude I would ban all cars from the city completely but I guess he has to accomodate for a diversity of opinions too.

@btc, *if* someone was to lose it over this yump, they will likely make a bee-line for the pavement/cycle path

The road marking between the high road and the tunnel lane is still in yellow, I am sure that the merge area will be extended once they are done putting up the sound protection walls in spring of 2007.