Wut in Essen: Fehlplanung am Freiligrathplatz sorgt für Ärger

In Essen, specifically in the Kettwig district, residents are expressing their anger over the state of the popular Freiligrathplatz. The square has some structural deficiencies, leading some residents to accuse the city of Essen of misusing taxpayers‘ money. The frustration stems from what is perceived as a „massive planning error“ at the Freiligrathplatz. A resident from Essen took to Facebook to criticize the pavement at the square in Essen-Kettwig, stating that the planning led to an entirely unsuitable surface for the roadways. The individual, who is also the managing director of an expert assessment office, pointed out that the panels are only suitable for sidewalks at most. Additionally, the construction execution, particularly of the ramps, was deemed qualitatively and technically incorrect.

The issue has raised questions about who in the administration is responsible for this planning and which company carried out the work despite being aware of the traffic volume. Furthermore, concerns were raised about whether drivers would adhere to traffic regulations in what is supposed to be a traffic-calmed zone. The resident also questioned who could be held accountable for the misuse of taxpayer funds in this case.

In response to inquiries, Stefan Platzen, a sworn expert, shed light on potential flaws in the planning and execution processes. He emphasized the importance of considering the load capacities when selecting the surface layer, highlighting that larger formats complicate installation and some formats are simply unsuitable. The responsibility for the realization of the Freiligrathplatz lies with the Department of Roads and Transport of the City of Essen, according to the city’s spokesperson Burkhard Leise. The damages currently present are considered warranty issues that the contracting company must rectify. Investigations into the cause of the damages have been initiated and conducted by an external testing institute, with evaluations of the results ongoing. The pavement used is the standard construction method for traffic-calmed areas and was planned based on valid technical regulations.