Central area of the Chamerstrasse to be redesigned

Plans for the changes to the Chamerstrasse in Hünenberg and an application for  corresponding loan will be presented at the municipal assembly on 21 June. While the proposal does not go far enough for the SP, the SVP demands a postponement.

The centre of Hünenberg is changing. The construction for the central development of Jego AG started about a year ago and, according to a report in the last municipal booklet "Einblick", completion is scheduled for autumn 2022. At the same time, the new design for the Chamerstrasse will be put into operation. An "Operating and Design concept" for the upgrading of the road was already presented to the public in 2018, and the project is now becoming concrete: voters will decide on a loan of CHF 2.2 million for the redesign of the raid at the municipal assembly on Monday, 21 June.

The area of Chamerstrasse between the confluence of the Eichengasse and the junction of the Ehretweg is to be redesigned. The project envisages an expansion of the road space by creating a two-metre-wide, paved strip in the middle of the roadway. This widening will eliminate some of the current flower beds, which will compensated by planting additional trees along the road. The two "Dorf" bus stops will be moved to the area of the municipal hall (Gemeindehaus) and the new central development. The currently separate bus stops for the lines 41 and 51 will thereby be merged.

Speed limit of 30 kph necessary for safety reasons
Part of the project is a speed reduction on the road to 30 kilometres per hour. The introduction of a new speed limit had not been regarded as mandatory by the working group that developed the Operating and Design concept, and was therefore not part of the concept. The speed reduction is now necessary, however, writes the municipal council, for safety reasons. "If a bus is standing at the bus stop, motorists must be able to have a free view of the other lane for a certain distance," is one of the arguments.

The speed reduction is also important in order to achieve safety at the St. Wolfgangstrasse / Chamerstrasse junction. The municipal council summarises its position as follows: The reduction has a small impact on the quality of the traffic, but a positive effect on the residential quality and safety.

No trees on the median strip
A further adaptation of the original proposal is to be made to the planting of trees. Trees had been originally foreseen in the area of the central strip. Because of the requirement for a free view of the road, however, there will now be no trees in the central strip.

The project has been registered for the Federal Agglomeration Programme, and the municipality of Hünenberg thereby expects a cost sharing of up to 35%. In addition, a contribution from the canton to the handicapped-friendly design of the bus stops is expected.

The visualization shows the possible design of the Chamerstrasse
Image: PD

The local Hünenberg CVP and FDP parties support the project. The SP wants to go even further, and is advocating a speed reduction down to 20 kilometres an hour. SP President Virginia Köpfli believes this will make "a real meeting zone" possible, in which pedestrians have priority. The SVP, on the other hand, have called for a postponement. "The Cham–Hünenberg bypass should be completed first," says SVP President Thomas Villiger. As is well known, the building permit for the major project is now legally binding after the Federal Supreme Court dismissed a final appeal. The Chamerstrasse is currently a cantonal road, but will be re-classified as a municipal road with the opening of the bypass.

Kemmatten schoolhouse to be expanded
Another project for the municipal assembly is the renovation and expansion of the Kemmatten A school building in Hünenberg See, which is to be renovated and expanded at a cost of around CHF 13 million – due to changed needs and additional space requirements for lunch and after-school care. A project loan of CHF 1.2 million is now being presented for this. The FDP, CVP and SP support the project, while the SVP has not taken a position, as the public vote was undecided.

Following the municipal assembly, an information event about the future postal supply will take place in Hünenberg. Swiss Post representatives will inform you how the future postal service could look in the centre of Hünenberg. The municipal council is also available for questions.