DEU: A544 & A4 (Köln) false concurrency

[bhemphill]

These two routes are marked as concurrent for the last short part of A544's existence.  There are barriers keeping the two routes on separate pavement though.  There is a second ramp for those drivers who are going between A44 and A544 to use and make use of A4 and the ramps between there and A44.

[michih]

The "Aachener Kreuz" is currently reconstructed (December 2009 - Late 2017), see project page.

Prior reconstruction (the concurrent section is west of the cloverleaf):


After completion:


I think I'll change it - moving the A544 wp by 0.000001° - if there are no objections...

Is an update note required for modifications like this?

[bhemphill]

Okay, yes that reconstruction does look like it should end up making them concurrent in the end from the drawing, but it looks like the pictures indicate that the barriers are still in place as of a couple months ago.  It does look like it will need to be watched to see what the final look is and how signed.  I wasn't searching the right terms to find the construction info and satellite views from 2012 or 2013 at the latest did not really help to indicate the construction there.

[michih]

Click on the 2nd pic for a "big" version - the file name is "ak-ac_neu-big.jpg" - which shows the final configuration.

I was a little bit confused yesterday. I've checked again and think it's like this:
- The carriageways from A4 west to A4 east and A544 to A4 east merge just east of the western junction.
- The carriageways from A4 east to A4 west and A4 east to A544 split just east of the western junction.

That means, concurrent routes.

Traffic is currently (5th July to late August) routed like shown the pics:




https://www.strassen.nrw.de/projekte/a4/autobahnkreuz-aachen-a4-a44-a544/aktuelles.html

[bhemphill]

Okay, either the webcams were not working yesterday or I was being impatient and not paying attention to them actually showing.  I see the barrier that was between A544 and A4 has been removed from the views on webcams 1, 2, 3, 4 and 12.  I was only going by the last photos in the Bilderalbum to see what progress had actually been made.  So it looks like the progress is to the point where they will put in the new paving in the current routes image where it is marked in red.  When that is done, painted, signed, and opened then the concurrency will actually exist.  But yes, undoing the concurrency now just to put it back in a month or so when that happens is a bit of a waste of effort.  It is kind of confusing with all the movements and phases to the construction project.  The maps are nice, but the picture makes it easier to understand what it means.