Construction work on the Rahmede viaduct began on Thursday, March 24th, and was stopped just a few hours later – because of the dormouse.
Update March 25, 2:23 p.m.: A spokeswoman for the Westphalia branch told the German Press Agency that the construction company started on the slope on Thursday due to a misunderstanding. However, only a single track of around 50 meters was drawn into the slope, and then the work was stopped. As a result, there are no delays in the overall planning of the major project. It was always assumed that this would not start until the end of April or the beginning of May.
Update March 25, 11:48 a.m.: Given the delay caused by the hibernation of the dormouse simultaneous traffic chaos in Lüdenscheid the question arises whether – and if so, how many – dormice actually live on the bridge. When asked, Autobahn Westfalen admits that no living or dead animal has yet been discovered at the viaduct.
The only evidence in the area of the Rahmede viaduct is a dormouse nest found on a bridge abutment during mapping in 2016. In other pens, which are hung up during mapping to determine the population, no more mice were then found – until today.
Nevertheless, the dormouse must be taken into account in the planning and environmental issues, it is said. “We assume that there is not a large population in the area,” says Simon Söhnchen, state supervisor of the Westphalia autobahn. However, it is a “typical habitat for these animals.” Therefore, the heavy machines are not allowed to carry out any earthworks on the slope until the end of hibernation.
Viaduct Rahmede: Construction stopped due to dormouse – following just a few hours
Update March 24, 6:23 p.m.: Autobahn Westfalen confirms that the company was prohibited from continuing certain construction work below the bridge on Thursday followingnoon. It was regarding the use of a caterpillar on a slope that moved topsoil. “Everyone is highly motivated to get to work on the construction of the Rahmede viaduct,” explains Dirk Stiepert, head of the Hagen branch. “Here you actually went too fast.”
This work was stopped immediately because it can disturb the protected dormouse. “It is not yet possible to work on the slope itself, as the area under the bridge is the habitat of the protected dormouse. The animals are in hibernation until the end of April/beginning of May,” says Autobahn GmbH. Only then may ground movements be carried out on the slope below the bridge.
Update March 24, 1:37 p.m.: On Thursday morning, the company commissioned began excavation work under the Rahmede viaduct. Everything indicated that the permit from the nature conservation authority had been obtained. The ground for the new building was worked with heavy equipment, among other things, rock was cut off with an excavator, a crawler excavator climbed up the slope and pushed the soil together there. The first construction containers were set up. The activity of the machines and works might be heard from afar in the Rahmede valley. For the residents, this is a sign that things are finally starting.
At noon it was very quiet once more under the viaduct. According to information from our newspaper, the construction company was asked by the Westphalia motorway to stop work on the site immediately – following just a few hours. The reason is said to be that the dormouse has not yet officially ended its hibernation, which the construction company apparently did not wait for. Was there a permit from the nature conservation authority? Not clear.
There is still no confirmation of what is happening under the closed viaduct. We’ll keep you posted.
First report March 24, 7:20 a.m.: Something is happening at the Rahmede viaduct, which is in danger of collapsing. A team of surveyors is out and regarding between the pillars, taking measurements for the construction of the bridge and for preparing the blasting in the fall. An excavator with a raised shovel symbolizes busyness, but the nature conservation authority has not yet approved the steep terrain. The reason: the one on the Bridge suspected dormouse Haven’t woken up from hibernation yet.
The animals are strictly protected. In order to make their somewhat distant new habitat palatable to them, dormouse roosts were recently hung up in the vicinity of the bridge, as Susanne Schlenga from the Westphalia autobahn reports. This is one of the measures that will be implemented in coordination with the nature conservation authorities and voluntary conservationists to compensate for the impact on the environment required by the new bridge construction. A nesting aid for the protected peregrine falcons, which had their nest at the viaduct, has already been installed nearby.
By far the greatest effort is currently being made by Autobahn GmbH for the resettlement of bats. As our newspaper asked, not only a handful of specimens of the parti-colored bat had their winter quarters in one of the bridge pillars. The mapping resulted in an extrapolated population of more than 1,000 bats of different species around the bridge. According to Autobahn Westfalen, there is evidence of 1,148 pipistrelle bats, 52 brown long-eared bats, 50 noctule bats and several parti-colored bats, which must now be offered a new home.
As Susanne Schlenga emphasized, the preparations for this have already begun. Old mining tunnels have already been opened in the vicinity of the bridge to attract the cave dwellers. Seven bat towers, two larger bat towers to replace pillars and 40 winter and 40 summer roost boxes are also planned not far from the construction site for the new bridge. The locations are kept secret so that the protected animals are not disturbed during the move.
The bat protection measures are accompanied by monitoring. The towers and boxes are checked regularly. “The new quarters must be accepted by the bats for the measure to be successful,” says Schlenga. Only then will the nature conservation authorities and associations give the green light for the construction of the bridge.
| Highway | A45 |
| Long | 257 km |
| Federal states | North Rhine-Westphalia; Hesse; Bavaria |
Meanwhile, the flight of the bats is eagerly awaited by the high-altitude rescuers from the Center for Fall Protection at Heights in Bottrop. The experts got a picture of the situation on the bridge on Wednesday. Their job: in the summer they are to close the entry holes for the bats in the pillars so that no bats are still in the building when the blasting takes place.
At the same time, a civil engineering company is preparing the subsoil investigation for the new building. Drilling is to be carried out soon – for the tests, but also to set anchors so that the construction company can safely climb the steep terrain with heavy equipment. The excavator under the bridge has even moved some earth – where no dormouse lives. At the moment the construction site is resting once more. The construction company and Autobahn GmbH are waiting for the dormouse to wake up from hibernation – and for the nature conservation authorities to finally give the green light.
Meanwhile, a new one worries Sign in Lüdenscheid for topics of conversation. It asks drivers to turn off their sat nav. In addition, in Lüdenscheid due to the A45 closure now a speed camera that also flashes road users who are not too fast.
