is an

Autobahn The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It connects the A 38 and

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...

to the A 70 near

Schweinfurt Schweinfurt ( , ; ) is a city in the district of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the surrounding district (''Landkreis'') of Schweinfurt and a major industrial, cultural and educational hub. The urban agg ...

. A further northern extension to the A 14 near

Plötzkau Plötzkau is a municipality in the district of Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Rus ...

has been proposed by the state government of

Sachsen-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...

.Coalition agreement between CDU and SPD in Sachsen-Anhalt
(page 56; German; PDF; 223 kB) Construction on the A 71, supervised by

DEGES The Deutsche Einheit Fernstraßenplanungs- und -bau GmbH (DEGES) (''German Unity motorway planning and construction company'') is a state-owned project management institution founded on October 7, 1991, about one year after the German reunificatio ...

, began in 1996, most parts were being opened by December 2005. The project was completed in September 2015. The section through the

Thuringian Forest The Thuringian Forest (''Thüringer Wald'' in German), is a mountain range in the southern parts of the German state of Thuringia, running northwest to southeast. Skirting from its southerly source in foothills to a gorge on its north-west side i ...

was the most expensive road ever built in Germany with an average cost of . This section includes the ''

Rennsteig Tunnel Rennsteig Tunnel (German: Rennsteigtunnel) is the longest road tunnel in Germany with a length of 7,878 meters (4.919 mi). The Rennsteig Tunnel is part of the motorway Autobahn A 71 between Gräfenroda and Oberhof in Thuringia. It is also c ...

'' which is the longest road tunnel in Germany at and is called "Thüringer wald Autobahn" (Thuringian Forest Motorway).

Exit list

Characteristics

Buildings at Thuringian forest

While crossing the Thuringian Forest are a lot of large engineering works needed, the most notable are listed in the table below.

Records

* Wilde Gera viaduct: with span length the largest

Arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ...

in Germany, convicted by a street *

: with the longest

Tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

in Germany, and the fourth longest Tunnel with two parallel tubes in Europe

Gallery

A71 Wipfratal.JPG, A 71 crossing the

Wipfratal Wipfratal is a former municipality in the district Ilm-Kreis, in Thuringia, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russi ...

, rightwards the

Nuremberg–Erfurt high-speed railway The Nuremberg–Erfurt high-speed railway is a German high-speed railway, between Nuremberg and Erfurt. The line is listed in Germany's federal transport plan as '' Verkehrsprojekt Deutsche Einheit Nr.'' ("German Unity transport project no") ''8 ...

and their gate to the

Sandberg Tunnel Sandberg may refer to: People * Sandberg (surname) Places * Sandberg, Bavaria - municipality in the district of Rhön-Grabfeld in Bavaria in Germany * Sandberg (Celtic settlement) - archaeological site on hill ridge in the northwestern part of t ...

Werratal120605.jpg, Werratal viaduct near the exit

Meiningen Meiningen () is a town in the southern part of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in the region of Franconia and has a population of around 25,000 (2021).

-Süd, the longest bridge of the A 71 with a length of A71-Talbruecke-Bibra-2005-09-18.jpg, Bibra viaduct between

Rentwertshausen Rentwertshausen is a former municipality in the district Schmalkalden-Meiningen, in Thuringia, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Eur ...

and

Queienfeld Queienfeld is a former municipality in the district Schmalkalden-Meiningen, in Thuringia, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe ...

A71 AS Heldrungen.JPG,

Heldrungen Heldrungen is a town and a former municipality in the Kyffhäuserkreis district, Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2019, it is part of the town An der Schmücke. Nearby rivers are the Unstrut and the Wipper. It is known for its fortification ...

exit in the direction of Tunnel Schmücke ; Opened in September 2009

Notes

External links

71 A071 A071 A071 {{Germany-road-stub