Bernburg. The gap between aspiration and reality is closing. A few days ago, District Administrator Markus Bauer received confirmation of a grant worth millions for a cycle path between Eggersdorf and Großmühlingen in the municipality of Bördeland: “We are very pleased to be able to continue implementing this joint project as planned, with the support of the state and federal governments. As a district alone, we would not have been able to make this happen. We are all very grateful for that.” By ‘all’ in his remarks at an information session in Bernburg, he includes the district administration staff in charge of the project as well as his project partner, the municipality of Bördeland, and of course the residents of both towns and Mayor Marco Schmoldt. He says: “As mayor, this makes my heart beat faster and fills me with joy. There is no longer any doubt that the cycle path will now be built and that the cycle path network in the municipality of Bördeland will be almost complete. This is important for people of all ages who cycle to school or attend events at the Hegersporthalle.”
Up to 1.114 million euros in funding over the period up to the end of 2030 – equivalent to 90 per cent of the current planning and construction costs – which the Salzlandkreis can receive, following its application as the project sponsor, for the construction of a footpath and cycle path running alongside the district road 1292 between Eggersdorf and Großmühlingen. The funding comes from federal funds for investment in cycling infrastructure through the ‘Stadt und Land’ special programme. The municipality of Bördeland will cover the local contribution and any additional costs should these exceed the allocated amount.
The Salzlandkreis and the municipality of Bördeland agreed last year to implement the project jointly under a partnership model. To ensure the funded project progressed swiftly, the district authority drove the planning forward and provided advance funding. “This is yet another example of how, under the current circumstances, we are joining forces to expand the cycle path infrastructure and thereby enhance our area as a place to live and do business,” emphasises District Administrator Markus Bauer. Specifically, the project involves a cycle path of around 1.1 kilometres from the end of Chausseestraße in Eggersdorf to the village of Großmühlingen, near Eggersdorfer Straße 10, safely separated to the west of the road – a long-cherished wish of the residents of Bördeland. This is because Großmühlingen is also a school district, and it is particularly important that children and young people can travel more safely there.
Tilo Wechselberger, Head of the Department responsible for District and Economic Development and Tourism, explains the project: The new link will be built as a combined footpath and cycle path, with a standard width of two and a half metres in rural areas, plus a hard shoulder and a safety separation strip separating it from the district road. Within built-up areas, a width of three metres is planned, including a hard shoulder and a safety separation strip from the carriageway. “Following the preliminary planning stage, our commissioned planning consultancy, Ingenieurbüro Lübbers, is now working on environmental planning, including surveying work and ground investigation reports. The time-consuming species protection mapping is currently underway. At the same time, the engineering firm is examining various options for crossing the Mortzgraben and for incorporating drainage into the plans,” says the head of the specialist department, listing individual but important points in the extensive process. “Our timetable envisages that the mapping work and the accompanying landscape conservation plan will be completed by the end of next year. We can then move into the planning permission phase and award the construction contract by the end of 2028. If this plan goes to schedule, construction of the new cycle path will begin in spring 2029.” And the wishes of the people of Bördeland are becoming a reality thanks to the Salzlandkreis.