Renovation project finally making progress

A 30 km/h speed limit, an arcade and wider pavements: in the future, the centre of Menzingen will offer more safety - in particular for pedestrians. CHF 2.3 million has been earmarked for the project, although the bill still has to be approved by the cantonal council.

Narrow road conditions, a lot of traffic and hardly any space for non-motorised traffic: the main road through Menzingen winds between the buildings. Cars can only just about pass by each other. There are restaurants, shops, and a hairdresser there, and the school and the multi-purpose hall are also nearby – with dangerous situations being almost the order of the day. Road signs help to slow down the traffic. But that's not enough.

The centre of Menzingen, and in particular the section Alte Landstrasse to Mattenstrasse, is now to be redesigned over a length of about 240 metres. "A significant improvement is planned for pedestrian safety through widening the pavement, and a new arcade on the main road will create a continuous connection," says the draft of the cantonal council resolution on the approval of a property loan for the Centre Transformation Project, Municipality of Menzingen. According to construction director Florian Weber, this proposal will probably be dealt with by the cantonal council before this time next year. This step is necessary because the main road through Menzingen is a cantonal road.

The topic is not entirely new, however: the upgrading of the through road has been an issue since 2015. At that time, the canton launched a participation event in which the people of Menzingen could become involved. The results included the introduction of a 30 km/h zone in the centre and the construction of an arcade in the area of Kirchgasse 2 to 4, where the pavement is very narrow. In the context of the cantonal relief programme, however, the road project was postponed.

Inputs from the participation event taken into account
In addition to the delay –the work should actually have started in 2018 – the scope of the renovation work was also up for discussion. The Building Department rejected the construction of the arcade for cost reasons. As a result, the then Menzingen cantonal councillors Monika Barmet (CVP), Andreas Etter (CVP) and Karl Nussbaumer (SVP) submitted a motion that the project should be implemented as it had been developed in the participation event.

The cantonal road through the village centre in Menzingen is finally to be upgraded.
Image: Maria Schmid

There’s now some movement in the matter: The project to redesign the Menzingen village centre is currently going through both the political and the approval process, according to Florian Weber. And the arcade, as a way to improve pedestrian safety, is also an issue again. "It is now up to the cantonal council whether and how it ultimately adopts the proposal," he says. Together with the bill, the motion of the Menzingen cantonal councils will also be dealt with.

In addition to the arcades, the provision of pavement crossings that ensure priority for pedestrians are also foreseen. The bus stops are to be adapted to the new requirements and the entire body of the road is to be renewed. As a design element, an extra-wide edging made from natural stone is intended to visually separate the pedestrian area from the roadway. The road widths are also to be adapted to such an extent that it is possible for trucks and passenger cars to pass by each other at low speeds. As a further measure, a 30-km/h speed limit will be introduced in the centre.

The municipal council is satisfied
The total costs amount to CHF 2.3 million, with construction work scheduled to begin in 2022 The work will take around eight months, according to the proposal.

The Menzingen municipal council is also pleased about the latest developments: "Our wishes have been included, including the arcade, and our concern regarding the 30 km/h sped limit has also been taken into account," says the responsible municipal councillor Herbert Keiser (independent). The people of Menzingen already approved all the loan proposals at the municipal meeting in December 2020 – and in particular the municipal share of the construction costs, amounting to CHF 590,000. "The cooperation with the Cantonal Civil Engineering Office was constructive and we were able to contribute our concerns well," adds Keiser.