The Kreuz Kaiserberg (German: ''Autobahnkreuz Kaiserberg'') is a spaghetti junction in the Metropolitan region

Rhein-Ruhr The Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region (german: Metropolregion Rhein-Ruhr) is the largest metropolitan region in Germany, with over ten million inhabitants. A polycentric conurbation with several major urban concentrations, the region covers ...

in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

state of Northrhine-Westphalia. The interchange forms the connection between the A3, which runs from the Dutch border near Elten via

Oberhausen Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...

and

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

to the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n border south of

Passau Passau (; bar, label=Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's popu ...

, and the A40 (''Ruhrschnellweg'') from Venlo to

Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...

Geography

The Kreuz Kaiserberg is located in the city of

Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...

and is called after the 75-metre-high Kaiserberg there. To the west lies the district of Duissern and south of the interchange is the Duisburg Zoo. North of the interchange are the River

Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...

and the Duisburg harbour. Nearby cities are

Mülheim an der Ruhr Mülheim, officially Mülheim an der Ruhr () and also described as ''"City on the River"'', is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen. It is home to many compan ...

and

. The interchange is approximately 3 km east of the city centre of Duisburg.

History

The building of the interchange began in October 1966. It was opened to traffic in stages between April and June 1969; the connection on the eastern side to the Ruhrschnellweg (previously known as B60) opened at the same time. The western section of what is now the A40, between the and the A3, was completed in 1974. Until April 1992, the A40 east of the Kreuz Kaiserberg was designated the A430 and west of it the A2. To the north, the A3 and the A2 were combined as far as the . Until 1992, the official name of the intersection was Duisburg-Kaiserberg. The stretch of autobahn and the intersection were both renamed because reuse of the same name (in this case for the Duisburg-Kaiserberg exit and the Duisburg-Kaiserberg intersection) and double numbering of a section of motorway (A2/A3) are not permitted. In May 2010, the interchange was the scene of an unusual accident: a car travelling over one of its bridges broke through the concrete barrier and fell onto the A3 below. The car's 46-year-old driver was severely injured and had to be rescued by the fire brigade. The driver of another car travelling on the A3 was slightly injured, as he was unable to brake in time and crashed into the fallen car. On 18 July 2010, a stretch of the A40 between Dortmund and Duisburg was closed for the

Ruhr.2010 Ruhr.2010 – Kulturhauptstadt Europas was the name of the campaign in Germany's Ruhr region that earned it recognition as a European Capital of Culture in 2010. This was the first time a region was considered, as Essen represented all 53 towns ...

European Capital of Culture project ''Still-Leben'' ("Still Life"). As part of that event, several hundred thousand people gathered at Kreuz Kaiserberg to celebrate Ruhr.2010. In the centre of the intersection was an installation by German-based American artist Rita McBride modelled on the

Delicate Arch Delicate Arch is a freestanding natural arch located in Arches National Park, near Moab, Utah, Moab in Grand County, Utah, Grand County, Utah, United States. The arch is the most widely recognized landmark in Arches National Park and is depicted ...

in Utah, USA. The gathering has been described as "the most beautiful traffic jam Kreuz Kaiserberg has ever had". It was the first time since 1973 that pedestrians had been permitted to roam the interchange without being endangered by traffic.

Building form

As a "spaghetti junction", the interchange was built in an unusual way. Due to the narrow angle in which the motorways cross, the

ramp An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six clas ...

s had to be built in a small space and all lie south of the main bridge in the interchange.

Road configuration

Near the interchange the A3 is a 2x3 lane motorway, but between the interchange on- and off-ramps is a 2x2 motorway. On the Essen side, the A40 is 2x2, but on the Duisburg side it has been expanded to 2x3. In addition, since 2014 the A40 has been further expanded between the Kaiserberg and Duisburg interchanges, only in the direction of Essen, to 4 lanes without

hard shoulder A shoulder, hard shoulder (British) or breakdown lane, is an emergency stopping lane by the verge of a road or motorway, on the right side in countries which drive on the right, and on the left side in countries which drive on the left. Many wid ...

. All the ramps are single-lane, except those that lead in multiple directions. In their transport planning document (''Bundesverkehrswegeplan''), the German government has designated widening the A40 to 2x3 lanes on the Essen side as highly urgent.

Traffic near the interchange

Approximately 205,000 vehicles passed through the interchange on a daily basis in 2010. The portion of the A40/A44 between the Kreuz Kaiserberg and Kreuz Werl is traditionally one of the most congested sections of Autobahn in Germany.

References

External links

GEO: Spaziergang im Autobahnkreuz Duisburg-Kaiserberg
– a photo-illustrated guided walk (by

GEO magazine ''GEO'' is a family of educational monthly magazines similar to the National Geographic (magazine), ''National Geographic'' magazine. It is known for its detailed reports and pictures. History and profile The first edition appeared in Germany in ...

(Germany)) in and around the interchange
WDR video: Thomas Bug am Kreuz Kaiserberg
– part of a 30 minute long WDR extra video of the Ruhr.2010 "Still-Leben" event
WDR video: Gurken schälen mit Thomas Bug
– another extract from the same video {{in lang, de
Photo of Reichsautobahn 3 at the location now occupied by the intersection
www.lauritzen-hamburg.de Kaiserberg