The is a

cloverleaf interchange A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passes over or under the ...

in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region 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

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...

. The motorway interchange forms the connection between the relatively short north-south A661, and the northwest-southeast A3 that runs from the Dutch border to the Austrian border.

Geography

The motorway interchange lies within the city limits of

Offenbach am Main Offenbach am Main () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Hesse, Germany, on the left bank of the river Main (river), Main. It borders Frankfurt and is part of the Frankfurt urban area and the larger Frankfurt Rhein-Main Regional Aut ...

, after which it is named. Nearby cities and villages are

Neu-Isenburg Neu-Isenburg is a town in Germany, located in the Offenbach district of Hesse. It is part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area and has a population of 38,204 (2020). The town is known nowadays mainly for its regionally used shopping centre, th ...

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 ...

Heusenstamm Heusenstamm () is a town of over 18,000 people in the Offenbach district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Heusenstamm is one of 13 towns and communities in the Offenbach district. The town li ...

Dietzenbach Dietzenbach is the seat of Offenbach district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany and lies roughly 12 km southeast of Frankfurt am Main on the waterstream Bieber. Before the Second World War, the current town was ...

, and

Dreieich Dreieich () is a town in the Offenbach district in the of Darmstadt in Hessen, Germany. The town is part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area and is located roughly south of downtown Frankfurt am Main. With a population of more than 40,000 i ...

. The interchange lies approximately 5 km south of the city centre of Frankfurt and approximately 5 km southwest of the city centre of Offenbach. To the west is the Frankfurt airport and

Frankfurter Kreuz The Frankfurter Kreuz (''Frankfurt Junction'') is an Autobahn interchange in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, where the autobahns A3 and A5 meet. The interchange was originally to be built from 1931 to 1933, but due to World War II construction was ...

History

The A3 between the exit Frankfurt-Süd and the Offenbacher Kreuz was opened in 1957 and in 1958 lengthened to exit Hanau. In 1976 the Offenbacher Kreuz was opened together with the opening of the A661 between Offenbach and

Configuration

The Offenbacher Kreuz is a cloverleaf interchange and to the north side of it is a motorway split connecting the B3 coming from Frankfurt and vice versa to the A661. Not far east from the interchange the B3 merges to the A3 in a

trumpet interchange In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, using ...

. Near and at the interchange both motorways have sliproads, these have one lane except the parts between the indirect links which have two lanes.

Road layout

Coming from the west, the A3 between the

and the Offenbacher Kreuz has a 2x4 layout. To the east towards

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...

, the A3 has 2x3 lanes. The A661 has a 2x3 layout, from the separation of the sliproad and the A3 to the east also has three lanes.

Future

There are plans to widen A3 to 2x4 lanes between Offenbacher Kreuz and exit Hanau. Doing so requires reconstruction of the interchange.

Traffic near the interchange

After the

, this is the second most frequently used interchange in

, with approximately 215,000 vehicles passing it on a daily basis.

References

External links

Webcam am Offenbacher Kreuz (hr-online.de)
Offenbach