Northern Switzerland 366 million Swiss francs for traffic relief in the Suhr AG area

The traffic situation in Suhr AG is to be improved with overall planning. CHF 366 million is to be invested in a new SBB overpass, a road tunnel and a relief road, as announced by the canton of Aargau on Tuesday.

The traffic system in Suhr and Gränichen is already overloaded today, it said. The planned expansion of rail services would result in longer barrier closures and thus even more congestion on the roads. The "Transport infrastructure development in the Suhr area - VERAS" project aims to improve the situation and better connect the Wynental valley to the A1 freeway.

The new Bernstrasse Ost SBB overpass, the Wynematte tunnel and a new relief road between Gränicherstrasse and Suhrentalstrasse are expected to be built between 2027 and 2033. Various measures for pedestrian and bicycle traffic are also planned.

Costs increased from 234 to 366 million francs

Of the total costs of 366 million francs, the canton will bear 246 million itself. The federal government has pledged around 79 million francs. The contribution from the municipality of Suhr amounts to CHF 14.1 million, with the prospect of a contribution from the federal government and the municipality of Gränichen.

The remaining costs of CHF 31 million will be shared between the works and third parties such as Aargau Verkehr AG (AVA) and the Federal Roads Office (Astra), according to the canton.

Based on a preliminary project, the costs in 2020 were still estimated at 234 million Swiss francs. Various adjustments and additions as well as construction costs had led to the cost increases, it said.

Eastern bypass demanded for a long time

A petition entitled "We want the eastern bypass" was submitted by the people of Suhr as early as 1999, according to the media conference held in Suhr on Tuesday morning. In 2002, an eastern bypass and a southern bypass were then entered in the structure plan. The VERAS project was then developed from this.

A connection to the nearby A1 highway was also examined, but rejected. According to traffic counts, over 20,000 vehicles already pass through the center of Suhr every day. Due to population growth, an increase in motorized individual traffic to around 30,000 vehicles is expected by 2040. This is despite the planned shift to public transport, walking and cycling.