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A 4
Bundesautobahn 4
Route information
Length	616 km (383 mi)
Existed	1934–present
Major junctions
Major intersections
v t e Route A 76 E314 Netherlands (1) Vetschau border crossing (-) Bocholtz The offramp of the Dutch exit Bocholtz is on German territory (2) Aachen-Laurensberg (3) Aachen-Zentrum B 57 Toresberg parking area (4) Aachen 4-way interchange A 44 / E40, A 544 Services Aachener Land (5a) Eschweiler-West B 264 (5b) Eschweiler-Ost B 264 Alte Kippe parking area (5c) Weisweiler Inde bridge (5d) Langerwehe Rest area Rur-Scholle Rur bridge 100 m (6) Düren B 56 (7a) Merzenich Wildlife crossing 35 m (7b) Elsdorf B 477 (8) Kerpen (8) Kerpen 4-way interchange A 61 Erftbrücke 50 m Frechen-Königsdorf (under construction) Services Frechen (9b) Frechen-Nord (10) Köln-West 4-way interchange A 1 / E31 Kölner Ring (11) Köln-Klettenberg B 265 (—) Containerbahnhof Köln-Eifeltor (12) Köln-Süd 4-way interchange A 555 Rheinbrücke Rodenkirchen 567 m (13) Köln-Poll (14) Gremberg 4-way interchange A 559 (15) Heumarer Dreieck A 3 / E35 A 59 (16) Kreuz Köln-Ost A 3 / E35 Kölner Ring B 55a (17) Köln-Merheim (18) Refrath Rest area Lustheide (19) Bensberg (20) Moitzfeld B 55 Röttgesberg parking area (21) Overath-Untereschbach Talbrücke Holzbach 440 m (22) Overath B 55 B 484 Aggerbrücke 110 m Services Aggertal Talbrücke Schlingenbach 230 m Erlenhof parking area Talbrücke 170 m Talbrücke Loopebach 370 m Talbrücke 400 m (23) Engelskirchen Talbrücke 470 m Bellingroth parking area (24) Wiehl/Bielstein Talbrücke Molbach 210 m Wiehltalbrücke 705 m Hömeler Feld parking area Brücke 280 m (25) Gummersbach Rest area Morkepütz Talbrücke Alpebach 310 m (26) Reichshof/Bergneustadt B 256 Rest area Hasbacher Höhe (27) Reichshof-Eckenhagen (28) Olpe-Süd A 45 / E41 E40 Biggebrücke 230 m (28) Wenden Talbrücke Dahl 126 m Talbrücke Altenberg 239 m Talbrücke Elben 430 m (29) Krombach B 54 Biedenkopf (planned) Wetter (Hessen)-West (planned) Wetter (Hessen)-Süd (planned) Sarnau (planned) Cölbe (planned) Schönstadt (planned) Kirchhain (planned) Stadtallendorf (planned) 3-way interchange Stadtallendorf (planned) A 49 Neustadt (Hessen) (planned) 3-way interchange Neustadt (Hessen) (planned) A 49 Schwalmstadt (planned) Neukirchen (planned) Oberaula (planned) (31) Kirchheim 3-way interchange A 7 / E45 E40 Services Kirchheim will be closed Asbachgrund/Engersburg parking area Asbachtalbrücke 280 m Rest area Auerhahnkuppe Fuldabrücke 110 m (32) Bad Hersfeld B 27 B 62 Talbrücke Siebenborn 260 m Talbrücke Großer Kessel 220 m (33) Friedewald Rest area Talbrücke Eichhorst 240 m (34) Wildeck-Hönebach (35) Wildeck-Obersuhl (36) Gerstungen western part Weihetalbrücke Richelsdorf 584 m (36) Gerstungen eastern part Talbrücke 70 m Talbrücke Fuchsloch 80 m Wommen (planned) A 44 Talbrücke Wommen 304 m (37) Wommen B 400 () Brücke Frauenborner Bach 120 m (38) Herleshausen B 7a Werratalbrücke 732 m Services Eisenach Raststätte Ramsberg will be closed () (39) Eisenach-West B 7 B 19 (40) Eisenach-Ost B 84 parking area Talbrücke Hörseltal 422 m (40b) Sättelstädt (41a) Waltershausen Services Hörselgau (41b) Gotha-Boxberg (42) Gotha B 247 Apfelstädttalbrücke 150 m Rest area (43) Wandersleben (44) Neudietendorf/Arnstadt-West (45) Erfurt 4-way interchange A 71 Gerabrücke 110 m (46) Erfurt-West B 4 Rest area Willroder Forst (47a) Erfurt-Ost (47b) Erfurt-Vieselbach Services Eichelborn (48) Nohra (49) Weimar B 85 Rest area (50) Apolda B 87 Ilmtalbrücke 385 m (51) Magdala Raststätte Schorba (52) Schorba parking area Tunnel Jagdbergtunnel 3034 m (53) Jena-Göschwitz B 88 Saaletalbrücke 838 m Tunnel Einhausung Lobeda 600 m (54) Jena-Zentrum Podelsatzbrücke224 m Talbrücke Zeitzgrund 295 m (55) Stadtroda Services Teufelstal Teufelstalbrücke 270 m (56a) Hermsdorfer Kreuz A 9 / E51 (56b) Hermsdorf-Ost (57) Rüdersdorf Thieschitzer Talbrücke 270 m Talbrücke Weiße Elster 160 m (58a) Gera-Langenberg B 2 B 7 (58b) Gera (59) Gera-Leumnitz (60) Ronneburg B 7 Sprottetalbrücke 200 m (61) Schmölln Pleißenbrücke 550 m Crimmitschau (planned) (62) Meerane B 93 (63) Glauchau-West Rest area Am Angerberg (64) Glauchau-Ost B 175 Talbrücke Zwickauer Mulde 550 m (65) Hohenstein-Ernstthal B 180 (planned) (66) Wüstenbrand Raststätte Rabensteiner Wald parking area (67) Limbach-Oberfrohna (68) Kreuz Chemnitz 4-way interchange A 72 / E441 (69) Chemnitz-Mitte B 95 Tunnel Eisenbahnunterfahrung 35 m (70) Chemnitz-Glösa B 107 Services Auerswalder Blick (71) Chemnitz-Ost Zschopaubrücke 90 m (72) Frankenberg B 169 (planned) (73) Hainichen Talbrücke Kleine Striegis 357 m (74) Berbersdorf (75) Siebenlehn B 101 Talbrücke Freiberger Mulde 413 m Rest area Talbrücke Tännichtbach 190 m (76) Nossen 3-way interchange A 14 Triebischtalbrücke 427 m Triebischseitentalbrücke 349 m Saubachtalbrücke 253 m (77a) Wilsdruff Services Dresdner Tor (77b) Dresden-West 3-way interchange A 17 E55 (78) Dresden-Altstadt B 6 Elbebrücke 496 m (79) Dresden-Neustadt Unionbrücke 280 m (80) Dresden-Wilder Mann (81a) Dresden-Hellerau E55 B 170 (81b) Dresden-Flughafen (82) Dresden-Nord 3-way interchange A 13 E55 Weixdorf (planned) (83) Hermsdorf B 97 Rest area Grünberg (84) Ottendorf-Okrilla (85) Pulsnitz (86) Ohorn Rest area Ohorn Grünbrücke 50 m (87) Burkau (88a) Uhyst am Taucher Services Oberlausitz (88b) Salzenforst (89) Bautzen-West B 96 Spreetalbrücke 160 m (90) Bautzen-Ost B 156 Rest area Purschwitz (91) Weißenberg Rest area Buchholz (92) Nieder-Seifersdorf Tunnel Königshainer Berge 3300 m Rest area Kodersdorf Talbrücke Weißer Schöps 303 m (93) Kodersdorf B 115 (94) Görlitz B 6 (95) Görlitz border crossing Neißebrücke 340 m A 4 E40 Zgorzelec (Poland)
Location
Country	Germany
States	North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Saxony, Thuringia
Highway system
Roads in Germany Autobahns List Federal List State E-roads
← A 3 → A 5

Bundesautobahn 4 (translates from German as Federal Motorway 4, short form Autobahn 4, abbreviated as BAB 4 or A 4) is an autobahn in two discontinuous segments that crosses Germany in a west–east direction. The western segment has a length of 156 km (97 mi), while the part in the east is 429 km (267 mi) long.

Route

The western A 4 starts north-west of Aachen, where the Dutch A76 enters Germany. Initially it is 2 lanes each way with no speed limit. From Kreuz Aachen to Düren and from Kerpen to Refrath (between Refrath and Köln-Merheim) westbound the hard shoulder becomes the third lane at peak times. Between Kreuz Köln-West and Kreuz Heumar it forms the southern part of the Cologne Beltway (Kölner Autobahnring). The rest of the section between Kreuz Aachen and Kreuz Köln-West has a variable speed limit. Between Merzenich and Elsdorf, the speed limit is 130 km/h. Between Kreuz Köln-West and Kreuz Heumar the speed limit is 120 km/h. From Kreuz Köln-Ost to Refrath the maximum speed is 100 km/h. The westbound section between Köln-Merheim and Kreuz Köln-Ost is restricted to 80 km/h. The section between Refrath and the terminus at Krombach has no speed limit. Between Untereschbach and Refrath westbound the limit is 100 km/h weekdays. It is mostly 2 lanes each way, but between Untereschbach and Wiehl, several climbing lanes operate in both directions.

The eastern part starts at the Kirchheim intersection (with the A 7) and goes through Eisenach, Gotha, Erfurt, Weimar, Jena, Gera, Chemnitz, Dresden and Bautzen to Görlitz, where it crosses to Poland and continues as A4.

The westernmost 11 kilometers of the A4 form the most easterly stretch of the European route E314: continuing east from the Aachen interchange (Kreuz Aachen), the A4 is part of European route E40. European routes don't have gaps and E 40 follows A 45 and A 5, which is a suitable route past the gap of A4.

History

In 1927, the first ideas planned connections between Aachen and Cologne, and additional connections between Erfurt and Breslau (Silesia). The first sections were built from 1934 to 1937 (between Chemnitz and Dresden).

Just west of Eisenach was the Wartha-Herleshausen border checkpoint between East and West Germany. Eight kilometers down the road, after the Wommen interchange, the road crosses back into the former East Germany into Gerstungen (today in Thuringia) for seven kilometers before crossing back to the former West Germany at Wildeck. Because of that, the section between Wommen and Wildeck-Obersuhl interchanges was closed and fell into decay during the Cold War. It was bypassed by B 400. Ironically, that section, built in 1943, was the last Reichsautobahn section built before the end of World War II.

The Wildeck-Obersuhl interchange was built only after the war, due to the Gerstungen interchange being exactly on the border. Repairs of those parts were scheduled to be completed in 2007.

In 1999, the new tunnel at Königshain Hills (near Görlitz) was opened. In 2014, the section of A 4 between Cologne and Aachen was rerouted on a new 17 km highway section near Kerpen. The abandonment of the old route was due to the expansion of coal mining in the Hambach open-pit mine.

Reconstruction of the last section in Thuringia between Eisenach and Gotha near the former Inner German Border began in 2007 and required building 25 km (16 mi) of new road.

Wiehltalbrücke accident

The "Wiehltalbrücke" is a bridge that carries the A4 across the valley of the river Wiehl. The A4 near Gummersbach, North Rhine-Westphalia was the site of the then-most expensive traffic accident in German history: On 26 August 2004, a BMW M3, whose driver had no driving license and was later found to be driving under the influence, collided with a truck carrying 33,000 litres of gasoline. The truck crashed through a guardrail, fell off the Wiehltalbrücke and exploded, killing the driver. The subsequent fire caused severe structural damage to the bridge. The BMW driver was jailed for 22 months.

The bridge was closed for weeks until temporary repairs were completed. Permanent repairs finished on 22 August 2006, using a method never before used in Germany. Among other things a 20 m × 31 m segment was replaced while the bridge was closed. The repairs cost €7.2 million.

References

1. "Tempolimit auf der A4 bei Düren" (in German). WDR. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
2. "Neubau 1943". www.autobahn-online.de. Retrieved 2024-08-05.
3. "A4 zwischen Bad Hersfeld und Eisenach". www.autobahn-online.de. Retrieved 2024-08-05.
4. "German Highway Rotting Away - No Cars Can Drive Here Anymore". www.msn.com. FOCUS Online. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
5. "VINCI preferred bidder for a motorway concession in Germany". VINCI. 27 August 2007. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
6. "Tatort Wiehltalbrücke: Unfallverursacher verurteilt". Faz.net (in German). FAZ. 14 September 2005. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
7. "Neues Brückensegment erfolgreich in Wiehltalbrücke eingehoben". www.strassen.nrw.de (in German). 13 July 2006. Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2020.

External links

• Media related to Bundesautobahn 4 at Wikimedia Commons
• Geographic data related to Bundesautobahn 4 at OpenStreetMap
• Bundesautobahn 4 – detailed route plan (in German)

v t e Autobahn system in Germany
Major routes	A 1 A 2 A 3 A 4 A 5 A 6 A 7 A 8 A 9
Regional routes	A 10 A 11 A 12 A 13 A 14 A 15 A 17 A 19 A 20 A 21 A 23 A 24 A 25 A 26 A 27 A 28 A 29 A 30 A 31 A 33 A 36 A 37 A 38 A 39 A 40 A 42 A 43 A 44 A 45 A 46 A 48 A 49 A 52 A 57 A 59 A 60 A 61 A 62 A 63 A 64 A 65 A 66 A 67 A 70 A 71 A 72 A 73 A 81 A 92 A 93 A 94 A 95 A 96 A 98 A 99
Local routes	A 100 A 103 A 111 A 113 A 114 A 115 A 117 A 143 A 210 A 215 A 226 A 252 A 253 A 255 A 261 A 270 A 280 A 281 A 293 A 352 A 369 A 391 A 392 A 445 A 448 A 480 A 485 A 516 A 524 A 535 A 542 A 544 A 553 A 555 A 559 A 560 A 562 A 565 A 571 A 573 A 602 A 620 A 623 A 643 A 648 A 650 A 656 A 659 A 661 A 671 A 672 A 831 A 861 A 864 A 952 A 980 A 995
Planned or former routes	A 16 A 17* A 18 A 22 A 32 A 34 A 35 A 36 A 40* A 41 A 47 A 50 A 51 A 53 A 54 A 55 A 56 A 69 A 74 A 75 A 77 A 80 A 82 A 83 A 84 A 85 A 86 A 87 A 88 A 89 A 90 A 91 A 102 A 104 A 105 A 106 A 107 A 140 A 201 A 205 A 227 A 241 A 250 A 263 A 282 A 290 A 314 A 339 A 369 A 376 A 388 A 395 A 430 A 432 A 441 A 441* A 443 A 451 A 480* A 533 A 540 A 545 A 552 A 558 A 580 A 610 A 621 A 647 A 652 A 653 A 654 A 655 A 680 A 683 A 687 A 713 A 720 A 722 A 731 A 751 A 752 A 753 A 828 A 833 A 834 A 840 A 860 A 862 A 863 A 863* A 881 A 895 A 921 A 922 A 942 A 944 A 985 A 990 A 991 A 992 A 993 A 994 A 996 A 997 A 998 A 999
See also	Reichsautobahn (history) Autobahnpolizei
* original plan: number is used by another route now

• Autobahns in Germany
• Roads in Hesse
• Roads in North Rhine-Westphalia
• Roads in Saxony
• Roads in Thuringia