Host Nation Update, Oct. 6, 2022
Current strike at Stuttgart airport – More than every second Eurowings flight canceled
Due to a pilots’ strike, more than every second Eurowings flight at Stuttgart Airport will be cancelled on Thursday (October 6). Of 86 scheduled takeoffs and landings with Eurowings flights, 54 have been canceled, an airport spokeswoman announced Wednesday. The other 32 remained on schedule. As a result, she said, it was expected to be quieter than usual at the terminal – affected passengers had either been rebooked or given train tickets. Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport is also affected by the strike; The only Eurowings flight on Thursday to Mallorca is cancelled. The Cockpit pilots’ union had announced on Tuesday that negotiations on the collective wage agreement at Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings had failed, and subsequently called for a full-day strike. Eurowings criticized this as disproportionate and irresponsible. According to the airline, only flights operated by Eurowings Germany are being struck, not those operated by Eurowings Europe. The VC is seeking better working conditions in the conflict. A key demand is to ease the burden on employees, for example by reducing maximum flight duty times and increasing rest periods. Eurowings head of human resources Kai Duve called the demands excessive and dangerous for the future viability of flight operations and jobs “in times when millions of people are afraid of a cold winter and the next heating bill. (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Oct 6)
B-W Minister President Winfried Kretschmann visiting the USA –
“So many homeless people would be out of the question in our country”
Even the superpower USA can still learn something from the Germans, according to Minister President Winfried Kretschmann. “We have very different social structures, of course,” the Green politician stated during a visit to Sacramento, the capital of the state of California. “So many homeless people on the streets that would be out of the question here. We wouldn’t even let it get that far.” Germany, he said, is not only a country of innovation, but also a welfare state. In the U.S., he said, there are other debates, such as whether there should be mandatory health care insurance: “That’s as far away from our idea as the moon.” Kretschmann said that the U.S. has more excellence, while Germany has more “excellence across the board.” Both countries could learn from each other, he said. Kretschmann is traveling to the U.S. this week with a delegation of more than 100 people. There, he wants to establish contacts for the Southwest in Pittsburgh and California. The focus will be on artificial intelligence, autonomous driving and the future of the healthcare industry. (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Oct 6)
A-81 widening between Böblingen and Sindelfingen – The temporary road gets paved
The asphalt machines are steaming. Along the Smart buildings and around the Goldberg commuter rail bridge, a section of A 81 is currently being leveled that is not meant to last forever. The road builders are currently busy constructing the temporary road strip on which traffic will soon be rolling in the direction of Stuttgart. Two temporary lanes are being built between the Breuningerland in Sindelfingen and the Smart buildings in Böblingen where the noise barrier used to be. Traffic will be diverted onto this new asphalt strip from the beginning of November at the latest.
The way will then be clear for the first preparatory measures for the construction of the Autobahn noise barrier. This will cover 850 meters of the widened highway between Smart in the west and Möbel Hofmeister in the east. The cover is being built using the cut-and-cover method. The noise protection structure will not be covered with earth until the roadway and the structure have been built. For the planners and workers, this construction is a special challenge, as the lid is being built under traffic and the restrictions for motorists are to be kept to a minimum. There are no plans to close the A 81 for this section of construction, nor are there any plans to reduce the number of lanes.
For this reason, those responsible have decided to build a replacement freeway along the lid section. In the spring, the noise barrier on Leibnizstrasse was dredged away for this purpose. Road workers are currently leveling the temporary asphalt strip along the roadway in the direction of Stuttgart. In a few weeks, cars will be diverted onto this strip in the direction of Stuttgart – as before on two lanes. In spring 2023, a replacement route will also be available for traffic heading toward Singen. This will be added directly to the lane currently being built. Two lanes will also be available in this direction during the construction of the cap. Drivers will have to adjust to the new road layout for several years: Only when the noise protection lid is completed in 2025/2026 will cars be routed back to the original route. Then on three lanes each plus an extra lane, which will be available for high traffic volumes.
The Autobahn will be widened from its current four lanes to six over a length of 7.2 kilometers. In addition, there will be an extra lane that will be opened to traffic when traffic volumes are high. In the coming year, all bridges and underpasses will have to be demolished and rebuilt for the widening. Due to demolition work, the Autobahn will have to be completely closed on weekends. In addition, the existing Böblingen-Ost half junction will be upgraded to a full junction and will provide direct access to Breuningerland and the Goldbach business park in Sindelfingen. In the future, the southern ramp of the Böblingen/Sindelfingen junction will lead directly to the Böblingen/Sindelfingen airfield. Construction work began last summer and is scheduled for completion at the end of 2026. Since the highway runs between the cities of Böblingen and Sindelfingen, extensive noise protection measures are planned. The central structure is an 850-meter-long overhead enclosure. The enclosure starts around the Smart buildings in Böblingen and ends at the level of Möbel Hofmeister on the Sindelfingen side. In addition, around 3.4 kilometers of noise barriers will be built. (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Oct 6)