Bundesautobahn 30
Encyclopedia
is a highway
in northwestern Germany
. It runs from west to east, starting at the Dutch
border. On the border it connects with the Dutch A1 motorway
, hence, the A 30 is part of the important European connection Berlin
- Amsterdam
. It is an important connection from Hannover and Minden
to Osnabrück
, Münster
and the Netherlands, and part of European Route E 30
.
, at the Dutch border between Nordhorn
and Bad Bentheim
. In its course towards the east it first crosses Bundesautobahn 31
near Schüttorf
, offering connections towards the Ruhr area
(south) and Emden
(north). It passes Rheine
and near Osnabrück
it crosses the A 1 and A 33
, offering connections to the north in the direction of Bremen
(A 1) and to the south in the direction of Münster
(A 1) and Bielefeld
(A 33).
About 50 kilometer farther to the east the A 30 ends in Bad Oeynhausen
. Traffic continues over the Bundesstraße 61 through the health resort Bad Oeynhausen. After this town there is 1 additional kilometer of highway A 30, leading to the A 2. There the A 30 ends and continues as B 514.
, Salzbergen
and Rheine
. The 1938-1940 German road network plans contained a road that would run to the south of Salzbergen, north of Rheine and south of Osnabrück
and would meet the A 2 near Herford
and Bielefeld
.
In earlier plans the A 30 would run along Bundesstraße 65 to Hannover. However, these plans were abandoned. Merely the bypass of Stadthagen
and the southern bypass of Minden
(part of the B 65) and parts of a planned interchange in Laatzen
remain as evidence of these earlier plans. If the A 30 had been further extended through Minden and Stadthagen to Hannover, then today's segment of the A 30 around Bad Oeynhausen
would have had the number A 339.
The government of the region
Detmold
has issued a planning decision for this last segment of the A 30 at the request of the North Rhine-Westphalian state company for road construction in January, 2007. The planned section is nearly 10 km long and the section should receive two new exits, 28 bridges and a tunnel. The citizens' group which exerts itself against the construction of the highway has submitted a complaint and an application for granting temporary legal protection against the planning decision before the Federal Administrative Court
. In July 2008, the Court decided to reject the plaints against the planning decision.
Road construction should begin in autumn 2008. The construction time will amount to about 5 years, so that the traffic release of the northern bypass of Bad Oeynhausen – and with it the completion of the whole A 30 – is to be expected for 2014.
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
in northwestern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It runs from west to east, starting at the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
border. On the border it connects with the Dutch A1 motorway
A1 motorway (Netherlands)
The A1 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. The road connects the city of Amsterdam, near the interchange Watergraafsmeer, with the German border, near Oldenzaal and Bad Bentheim , and the German Autobahn BAB 30...
, hence, the A 30 is part of the important European connection Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
- Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. It is an important connection from Hannover and Minden
Minden
Minden is a town of about 83,000 inhabitants in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The town extends along both sides of the river Weser. It is the capital of the Kreis of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detmold. Minden is the historic political centre of the...
to Osnabrück
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
, Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
and the Netherlands, and part of European Route E 30
European route E30
European route E 30 is an A-Class West-East European route, extending from the southern Irish port of Cork in the west to the Russian city of Omsk in the east...
.
Course
The A 30 starts as the continuation of the Dutch A1 motorwayA1 motorway (Netherlands)
The A1 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. The road connects the city of Amsterdam, near the interchange Watergraafsmeer, with the German border, near Oldenzaal and Bad Bentheim , and the German Autobahn BAB 30...
, at the Dutch border between Nordhorn
Nordhorn
Nordhorn is the district seat of Grafschaft Bentheim in Lower Saxony's southwesternmost corner near the border with the Netherlands and the boundary with North Rhine-Westphalia.- Name's origin :...
and Bad Bentheim
Bad Bentheim
Bad Bentheim is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany lying in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim on the borders with North Rhine-Westphalia and the Netherlands roughly 15 km south of Nordhorn and 20 km northeast of Enschede. It is also a state-recognized thermal brine and sulphur spa town,...
. In its course towards the east it first crosses Bundesautobahn 31
Bundesautobahn 31
is a German Autobahn that connects the coast of the North Sea near Emden to the Ruhr area. It is also known as Emsland-Autobahn or East Frisian Skewer....
near Schüttorf
Schüttorf
Schüttorf is a town in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim in southwesternmost Lower Saxony near the Dutch border and the boundary with Westphalia . The town of Schüttorf forms with the surrounding communities the Joint Community of Schüttorf. It is the district’s oldest town...
, offering connections towards the Ruhr area
Ruhr Area
The Ruhr, by German-speaking geographers and historians more accurately called Ruhr district or Ruhr region , is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km² and a population of some 5.2 million , it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany...
(south) and Emden
Emden
Emden is a city and seaport in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia; in 2006, the city had a total population of 51,692.-History:...
(north). It passes Rheine
Rheine
Rheine is a city in the district of Steinfurt in Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city in the district and the location of Rheine Air Base.-Geography:Rheine is located on the river Ems, approx. north of Münster, approx...
and near Osnabrück
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
it crosses the A 1 and A 33
Bundesautobahn 33
is an autobahn in Germany which connects the Bundesautobahn 30 in the north and the A 44 in the south.- History :The history of the A 33 began in the 1960s as the B 68...
, offering connections to the north in the direction of Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
(A 1) and to the south in the direction of Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
(A 1) and Bielefeld
Bielefeld
Bielefeld is an independent city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold...
(A 33).
About 50 kilometer farther to the east the A 30 ends in Bad Oeynhausen
Bad Oeynhausen
Bad Oeynhausen is a spa town in the Minden-Lübbecke district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.- Geography :Bad Oeynhausen is located on the banks of the Weser river, which runs along the eastern edges of the town. Bad Oeynhausen has the world's highest carbonated, thermal saltwater fountain,...
. Traffic continues over the Bundesstraße 61 through the health resort Bad Oeynhausen. After this town there is 1 additional kilometer of highway A 30, leading to the A 2. There the A 30 ends and continues as B 514.
History
The first plans for an international motorway were made in 1933 with the Netherlands. The road was to run along Oldenzaal, Bad BentheimBad Bentheim
Bad Bentheim is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany lying in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim on the borders with North Rhine-Westphalia and the Netherlands roughly 15 km south of Nordhorn and 20 km northeast of Enschede. It is also a state-recognized thermal brine and sulphur spa town,...
, Salzbergen
Salzbergen
Salzbergen is a municipality in the Emsland district, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Ems, approx. 25 km south of Lingen, and 10 km northwest of Rheine.It has the oldest oil refinery in the world, opened in 1860....
and Rheine
Rheine
Rheine is a city in the district of Steinfurt in Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city in the district and the location of Rheine Air Base.-Geography:Rheine is located on the river Ems, approx. north of Münster, approx...
. The 1938-1940 German road network plans contained a road that would run to the south of Salzbergen, north of Rheine and south of Osnabrück
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
and would meet the A 2 near Herford
Herford
Herford is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest. It is the capital of the district of Herford.- Geographic location :...
and Bielefeld
Bielefeld
Bielefeld is an independent city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold...
.
In earlier plans the A 30 would run along Bundesstraße 65 to Hannover. However, these plans were abandoned. Merely the bypass of Stadthagen
Stadthagen
Stadthagen is the capital of the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 20 km east of Minden and 40 km west of Hanover. The city consists of the districts Brandenburg, Enzen-Hobbensen, Hörkamp-Langenbruch, Krebshagen, Obernwöhren, Probsthagen, Reinsen...
and the southern bypass of Minden
Minden
Minden is a town of about 83,000 inhabitants in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The town extends along both sides of the river Weser. It is the capital of the Kreis of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detmold. Minden is the historic political centre of the...
(part of the B 65) and parts of a planned interchange in Laatzen
Laatzen
Laatzen is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated directly south of Hanover.-Division of the town:In 1964, the municipalities of Laatzen and Grasdorf were merged into the city Laatzen...
remain as evidence of these earlier plans. If the A 30 had been further extended through Minden and Stadthagen to Hannover, then today's segment of the A 30 around Bad Oeynhausen
Bad Oeynhausen
Bad Oeynhausen is a spa town in the Minden-Lübbecke district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.- Geography :Bad Oeynhausen is located on the banks of the Weser river, which runs along the eastern edges of the town. Bad Oeynhausen has the world's highest carbonated, thermal saltwater fountain,...
would have had the number A 339.
Planned gap closure towards the A 2
The closing of the highway gap near Bad Oeynhausen has been planned for decades, however, it has not been executed up to now due to disputes about the location of the planned northern bypass of Bad Oeynhausen. In the city there are frequent traffic jams, and traffic (especially freight traffic) is expected to increase. Hence, the gap closure towards the A 2 is judged especially urgent.The government of the region
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
Detmold
Detmold (region)
The Regierungsbezirk Detmold is one of the five Regierungsbezirke of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the north-east of the state...
has issued a planning decision for this last segment of the A 30 at the request of the North Rhine-Westphalian state company for road construction in January, 2007. The planned section is nearly 10 km long and the section should receive two new exits, 28 bridges and a tunnel. The citizens' group which exerts itself against the construction of the highway has submitted a complaint and an application for granting temporary legal protection against the planning decision before the Federal Administrative Court
Federal Administrative Court of Germany
The Federal Administrative Court is one of the five federal supreme courts of Germany. It is the court of the last resort for generally all cases of administrative law, mainly disputes between citizens and the state...
. In July 2008, the Court decided to reject the plaints against the planning decision.
Road construction should begin in autumn 2008. The construction time will amount to about 5 years, so that the traffic release of the northern bypass of Bad Oeynhausen – and with it the completion of the whole A 30 – is to be expected for 2014.