Stuttgart cycle highway: bicycle highway at height

Together with the Swiss start-up Urb-x, the city of Stuttgart wants to build a cycle highway at a height of five meters. The prototype is currently being built in Basel. Find out how the “plug-in system” made of prefabricated wooden modules works, what the associated solar modules are for and everything about the route in Stuttgart here.

According to Winfried Hermann, Transport Minister of Baden-Württemberg, a one-kilometre-long cycle highway is to be built in the Stuttgart region. A Swiss start-up is to improve the cycling infrastructure. The plan is to build a cycle highway five meters above the road. This dedicated lane would only be accessible for bicycles and not for cars or pedestrians. It would have two lanes and no crossings.

The “Bike Highways” project is inspired by other cycle highways such as the Xiamen Skyway in China. This bicycle bridge is almost eight kilometers long and spans busy roads. The project in southwest Germany will consist of prefabricated wooden modules provided by the Basel-based start-up Urb-x. These highways also have solar panels that can produce electricity for several hundred households per kilometer of road. The state government of Baden-Württemberg wants to work with the company to make everyday cycling more pleasant in large cities such as Stuttgart.

In 2022, Minister President Winfried Kretschmann and Transport Minister Winfried Hermann, both from the Green Party, visited Basel to take a closer look at the bike highways produced there. According to Kretschmann, these could solve congestion problems, particularly in the Stuttgart area. The cycle highway projects are currently still at the preliminary planning stage. The Ministry of Transport would like to have at least one pilot project completed by the IBA 2027.

Simple cycle lanes or cycle paths are not sufficient to create the necessary space for cyclists, especially in city centers. Converting existing roads quickly leads to conflicts. This is why the company Urb-x is hoping to remedy the situation with infrastructure in the air. The highways offer lanes in both directions, have a non-slip surface and can be heated so that they can also be used in winter.

According to Urb-x, this can save up to 3,000 tons_{of CO2} per kilometer of road compared to concrete construction. In addition, the solar panels on the high-speed cycle route could produce enough electricity for 100 to 200 households per kilometer. The company’s simulations show that a cycle express infrastructure could switch up to 50 percent of all commuter routes to bicycles.

The test route for the high-speed cycle paths in Baden-Württemberg is to be built in the Stuttgart region. It is not yet clear when construction will start.

There is a great need to catch up on cycling infrastructure in view of the cycling boom. Existing roads are often not suitable for creating efficient cycle paths without too many junctions. There are also political problems. In Baden-Württemberg, for example, Minister Hermann sees lengthy coordination processes, planning approval procedures and objections as the reasons for the stalled expansion of cycle highways. The minister has now announced that he will monitor the processes more closely and regularly review the status of the projects.

The highway project, which would complement the cycle highways in Stuttgart and the surrounding area, is still in the starting blocks. Experts from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Transport have doubts about the durability of the wood used, among other things. Mold in particular is a concern, as rainfall could lead to mold and wood damage.

Another unanswered question is the cost of the cycle highways in Stuttgart in general and the presumably higher costs for the roadways in terms of height. The next steps are to take a closer look at the prototype being built in Basel and to carry out further studies.

The planned high-speed cycle path would complement the planned cycle paths. Highways would provide additional space, especially in cities. The state of Baden-Württemberg would like to build a total of 20 cycle highways, each 20 to 30 kilometers long. This is expected to cost around half a billion euros. According to Minister Kretschmann, the cycle highways are the only way to tackle the congestion problem in cities such as Stuttgart. In addition, the cycle paths, especially the wooden highways, help people to move in a more climate-friendly way and get through the city quickly.

Ideally, there should be no intersections in the way of really fast cycling through a city. The existing high-speed cycle path from Mannheim to Heidelberg shows that fast-moving cycle traffic is easily possible. However, it is currently still difficult to route the cycle highway through the city center of Heidelberg. Such problems can be solved by building at height.

According to Kretschmann, bridges are more expensive than building cycle paths on the ground. But where there is no space, wooden elevated roads are an interesting solution in certain places. Using wood from the region in a modular design guarantees quick construction and easy maintenance.

Incidentally , an elevated cycle path is also to be built in Sabbionetta, Italy. This is not only located between the trees, but is also supported by them. The project is called Tree Path.