Newly extended Carl-von-Ossietzky-Straße officially opened
Carl-von-Ossietzky-Straße, named after the German writer and journalist (* 3 October 1889 in Hamburg; † 4 May 1938 in Berlin), runs between Goethestraße and Lessingstraße, crossed by Schillerstraße. This arterial road is part of the area of Eberswalde city centre that is popularly known as the "villa district". The unofficial title does the area justice, as the residential area near the forest is architecturally characterised by stately, classicist villas from the end of the 19th century. The green Schützenplatz and the park on Weidendamm are also not far away.
The major upgrade of Carl-von-Ossietzky-Straße, which was completed in May of this year, is part of an overarching concept1 to maintain and develop the area as a uniformly attractive residential neighbourhood while preserving the historical structure of the streetscape. After a good two years of renovation work, "Ossi-Straße" - another word created by the Eberswalde vernacular - was officially reopened to traffic and residents on 27 May 2024. Alongside Erich-Mühsam-Straße and Schillerstraße, this street can now also be considered fully restored. The major renovation project is set to continue with the neighbouring Gerichtsstraße in June 2024.
"With the reopening of Carl-von-Ossietzky-Strasse, we are once again marking a milestone in climate-friendly and authentic urban development. The historic street structure of the picturesque villa neighbourhood has been preserved, driving and walking comfort has been restored and the sophisticated new drainage system protects residents from the consequences of increasing extreme weather events, such as heavy rainfall and the resulting flooding," explains Anne Fellner, First Deputy Mayor and Head of the Building Department.
The changes in Carl-von-Ossietzky-Straße are clear at first glance. Most noticeable here are the 66 cherry trees, which will provide shade in the summer and help the street blend in even better with its already green surroundings. The roadway, which could previously be described as bumpy at best, has been completely rebuilt and paved with natural stone over a width of around 7.5 metres. Granite slabs with mosaic and small stone paving cover the new 2.75 metre wide footpaths and driveways. All drinking water pipes, including all house connections, were also renewed. The same applies to the sewer system for the climate-appropriate disposal of rainwater. 19 environmentally friendly LED lanterns of the Alt-Berlin 9003 type now light up Carl-von-Ossietzky-Straße. The crossing areas have been paved to ensure barrier-free crossing. New gas and electrical lines were laid.
During the construction period, a number of particular challenges hampered the rapid progress of the project. For example, the sewer and pipeline construction was only possible by lowering the extremely high groundwater level. A peat layer in the road area necessitated the costly replacement of the soil layers in a section of approx. 100 metres down to a depth of 0.9 metres and the installation of geotextile.
The total costs of the construction project amount to around 2 million euros. These were financed by the city of Eberswalde's own funds, the additional burden compensation from the state of Brandenburg and the federal and state programme "Growth and sustainable renewal - upgrading".
The city of Eberswalde would like to thank Finow Plan GmbH for planning the traffic system and surface drainage. We would also like to thank THARO for the realisation of the road construction and drainage. We would also like to thank ILB Dr Rönitzsch GmbH for planning the public lighting and Elektroanlagenbau Freier und Küter GmbH for constructing the lighting. Thanks also go to WILAB GmbH & Co. KG Straßenbau- und Baustoffprüfung for supervising the construction work.