From 18 o’clock this evening (Wednesday) sections of both the A40 and A52 will be closed in order for work to be carried out to prevent possible subsidence due to ancient coal workings that run under these autobahns.
The affected sections are as follows:
A40 Duisburg towards Dortmund between Autobahndreieck Essen-Ost and the exit Essen-Frillendorf.
A52 Düsseldorf towards Essen between Essen-Bergerhausen and Autobahndreieck Essen-Ost.
Boffins estimate that these closures will remain in place for “several days” in order to drill down through the carriageway to the old coal seams and pump them full of concrete.
Local diversions are in place but these lead a merry dance through the mean streets of Essen so best give the area a big miss until the all clear.
Any lads heading from Venlo to Dortmund, Kassel etc, should use the A2 or A42 to skirt around the problem.
Reopened Sunday afternoon although where the closure was in place, the carriageway is down to 2 lanes due to the construction of a noise prevention wall (which is how the old coal seams were discovered in the first place) so the area is still best avoided during rush hours.
