A roundabout should help defuse the accident black spot

According to a census by the Construction Directorate, the average traffic from Cham through the Herrenwald towards Sins was 14,200 vehicles per day in 2017, and this figure is expected to rise to just under 20,000 cars by 2040.  If the canton leaves the situation as it is, the risk of accidents will remain high in the area of the intersection. Slow traffic would be the biggest victim.

The connection from the Lorzen Ebene to the Freiamt has become very important in recent years. According to a census in 2017, around 14,200 vehicles per day are running on the Sinserstrasse towards the canton of Aargau. Transport planners expect this figure to rise to just under 20,000 vehicles per day by 2040 – an increase of around a third. Under these circumstances, the Construction Directorate of the Canton of Zug considers it appropriate to convert the crossing by the Zollhaus restaurant into an elliptically-shaped roundabout just before the Reuss crossing. The roads from Cham, Hünenberg, the Zollhaus-Weiler and from the direction of Sins all meet there.

Slow traffic in the roundabout area is also to be reorganised. The safety of all road users is paramount, as is clear from the recently published cantonal council decision. The Hünenberg mayor, Renate Huwyler, agrees and says: "The planned roundabout will basically make the node safer and traffic more fluid. The local council will be happy if the roundabout can be realised as soon as possible." This is also the case because the Sins bypass will go into operation next autumn. After that, according to the mayor, even more traffic will roll over the Zollweid junction.

The municipality of Hünenberg does not see its requests being met
Renate Huwyler had to take note, however, that the canton did not pursue the direct pedestrian connection from the Drälikonerstrasse to the southern Zollweid or the marking of pedestrian strips. These measures had been requested by the municipality of Hünenberg in the public presentation. Renate Huwyler has something else very close to her heart: "The pedestrian strip and the bicycle fords for crossing the cantonal road are particularly important for ensuring a safe way to school."

The municipal council has therefore objected to the published project. The objection calls for a pedestrian strip to be marked over the main connection (Sinserstrasse). The procedure is ongoing.

The junction at the Sinserstrasse in the direction of Hünenberg is to be replaced by a roundabout
Photo: Maria Schmid, (Sins, April 10, 2021)

The next highest instances will have to get a move on, as the cantonal parliament is to take the decision on the roundabout as early as October 2021. The earliest start of construction could be 2022. According to the paper of the Construction Directorate, the Zollhaus roundabout could be drawn up in a maximum of seven months, and the project is expected to start in the second quarter of 2022. The Reuss Bridge (Reussbrücke) will have to be completely closed for around five weeks in the summer of 2022. It’s planned to work shifts on the construction site from Monday to Saturday. In order to make the best use of the long bright days, the building authorities have decided to press ahead with the refurbishment and re-creation of the Zollhaus roundabout in shift operation. That would be around twelve hours a day.

Road wastewater cleaned by a plant in the vicinity of the roundabout
In order to prevent the untreated rainwater generated at the Zollhaus roundabout from seeping into the surrounding meadowland, the canton is building a so-called road sewage treatment plant in the Zollweid and Sinserstrasse areas. This is necessary because the roundabout will be located in a groundwater protection zone. The simple sewage treatment plant consisting of a planted sand filter will be constructed according to the latest specifications. In order to be able to discharge the rainwater into the filter system, the discharges are planned to be on the body of the road, and the maintenance of the plant will cost around CHF 8,000 per year. According to the project description, the filter layer will have to be replaced every 15 to 20 years. CHF 3.1 million is planned for the construction work. which is part of the road construction programme 2014-2022, which has been extended until 2026.