Premium cycle path between Wüstenbrand and Küchwald
Bicycle bridge over Kalkstraße opened
Next section of the premium cycle path is being built
November 2025: Work has begun on the next section (construction phase 2.0) of the planned premium cycle path between Wüstenbrand and Küchwald in Chemnitz. This extends over a length of around 2.4 kilometres on the former railway line from Röhrsdorfer Straße in Grüna through Rabensteiner Wald to Riedstraße in Rabenstein. At Riedstraße, there is a connection to the already completed construction section 2.1 towards Pleißenbachpark.
As part of the work, four bridge structures that have existed for around 120 years will be renovated and modernised. This will result in restrictions for motorised traffic on the Riedstraße and Weigandstraße bridge structures in the Rabenstein district in 2026. New access roads will be built in the area of Grenzstraße, Schaftreiberweg, at the Grüna ski jumps in the Rabenstein forest and at the Grüna forester's lodge. The new cycle path will then be connected to the public transport network and the forest path via these four access ramps.
The work is being carried out by the company SWING Tiefbau GmbH from Großrückerswalde and should be completed by December 2026.
more
Bicycle bridge over Kalkstraße opened
5.88 million euros in funding for further construction phase
On 15 October 2025, Minister of State Regina Kraushaar, Dr Claudia Elif Stutz, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Transport, and Thomas Kütter, Mayor for Urban Development and Construction, opened the newly built bicycle bridge over Kalkstraße in Chemnitz to cycle traffic.
The 180-metre-long bridge, for which around 284 tonnes of steel and 840 square metres of carbon concrete were used, now connects the districts of Rottluff and Rabenstein on the premium cycle path, which is already partially passable.
Once completed, the premium cycle path between Wüstenbrand and Chemnitz Küchwald will have a total length of 13.6 kilometres - it runs along a former railway line. This means that the cycle path will be up to four metres wide. The sections Riedstraße to Kalkstraße and Kalkstraße to Paul-Jäkel-Straße with a total length of 5.2 kilometres are currently usable. The newly built bridge now connects the two sections.
5.88 million euros in funding for another section of the route
The city now also has funding security for the next section of the route. Minister of State Regina Kraushaar, together with State Secretary Dr Claudia Elif Stutz, presented Mayor Thomas Kütter with a funding decision totalling 5.88 million euros. The funds, which are also being made available via the special "City and Country" programme and co-financed by state funds, are earmarked for the continuation of the cycle path between Riedstraße in Rabenstein and Röhrsdorfer Straße in Grüna. The section is 2.4 kilometres long. Construction is due to start this month.
Archive
Press releases on the topic
Section of the premium cycle path officially inaugurated
On 13 July 2023, Minister of State Martin Dulig and Mayor Knut Kunze opened two sections of the new premium cycle path with a joint cycle tour: the 3-kilometre-long section from Riedstraße to Kalkstraße (section 2.1) and the 2.8-kilometre-long section from Kalkstraße to Rudolf-Krahl-Straße (section 3.0) were completed at the end of June.
The carriageway is 4 metres wide on both the asphalt and the paved sections, which are important for amphibian crossings.
The two sections are to be connected by a new cycle path bridge over Kalkstraße. As the new bridge has not yet been built, the two sections of cycle path will initially be temporarily connected at ground level via Kalkstraße.
Background Premium cycle path
With the acquisition of the former Küchwald-Wüstenbrand railway line in October 2018, planning for its subsequent use as a cycle path was accelerated. The plans for the so-called premium cycle path on the 13.447-kilometre-long former railway line are divided into four main sections. The route allows for a cycle path with a width of four metres.
The project will connect the south-west, north and ring routes of the city of Chemnitz's cycle network to the new cycle path. This means that cycle traffic can be routed from Hohenstein-Ernstthal to Chemnitz independently of the public transport network - one of the criteria for a premium cycle path. The cycle path creates a safe and attractive centre-west connection for cyclists.
The two construction phases
Construction section 3.0 (construction decision B-035/2021 from 17 March 2021) from Kalkstraße to Rudolf-Krahl-Straße will be implemented over a length of around 1.4 kilometres. The planned asphalt surface of the four-metre-wide carriageway enables comfortable and safe driving in all weathers; the recommended minimum width is 2.50 metres. The access road on Rudolf-Krahl-Straße will be permanently upgraded for rescue, construction and maintenance vehicles. This direct connection to Limbacher Straße serves, among other things, as a temporary access road for the further construction of the future section 3.1.
Structural measures are required on the four existing bridges in section 3.0: the bridges will receive a carriageway slab that will allow a carriageway width of 3.8 metres at these points. In addition, fall protection and structural drainage will be installed or repaired. The existing natural stone masonry will be retained but will be cleaned, loose areas will be repaired and graffiti protection will be applied.
Total costs of just under 3.1 million euros have been estimated for this construction phase. The federal and state governments are contributing funding totalling around 2.58 million euros.
Construction section 2.1 from Kalkstraße to Riedstraße will be implemented over a length of around 2.8 kilometres. This follows on from construction section 3.0 in a westerly direction. The asphalt surface for the carriageway will also be four metres wide. A bridge over Kalkstraße and a neighbouring field was planned to create a level crossing. In the area of the field, the field area under the structure will remain passable for agricultural vehicles. The visually extremely slender bridge in conjunction with the inclined pylon creates a striking entrance to the city of Chemnitz from the Rottluff exit of the A 72 motorway in the direction of the city centre. The total cost of this construction phase was estimated at a good 6.9 million euros, with federal and state funding totalling just under 6.1 million euros. Construction resolution B-233/2021 was prepared for this construction section for the next city council meeting on 24 November 2021.