Bundesautobahn 71

Federal Motorway 71
Bundesautobahn 71 (German)
Route information
Length	220 km (140 mi)
Major junctions
From	Sangerhausen
To	A 70 near Schweinfurt
Location
Country	Germany
States	Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria
Major cities	Artern Heldrungen Kölleda Sömmerda Erfurt Arnstadt Ilmenau Geraberg Oberhof Zella-Mehlis Suhl Meiningen Mellrichstadt Bad Neustadt Münnerstadt Bad Kissingen
Highway system
Roads in Germany Autobahns List Federal List State E-roads
← A 70 → A 72

Bundesautobahn 71 (German for 'Federal Motorway 71', short form Autobahn 71, abbreviated as BAB 71 or A 71) is an Autobahn in Germany. It connects the A 38 and Erfurt to the A 70 near Schweinfurt. A further northern extension to the A 14 near Plötzkau has been proposed by the state government of Sachsen-Anhalt.

Construction on the A 71, supervised by DEGES, began in 1996, most parts were being opened by December 2005. The project was completed in September 2015. The section through the Thuringian Forest was the most expensive road ever built in Germany with an average cost of €10 million per kilometer (€16,000,000/mi). This section includes the Rennsteig Tunnel which is the longest road tunnel in Germany at 8 km (5.0 mi) and is called "Thüringer wald Autobahn" (Thuringian Forest Motorway).

Southern mouth of the Eichelberg tunnel near the town of Meiningen, seen from Jüchsetal bridge

Exit list

State	District	Location	km	mi	Destinations	Notes
		1	Südharz A 38
		2	Artern
		3	Heldrungen
		Schmücketunnel 1725m/5660ft
		4	Kölleda
		Leubinger Fürtsenhügel Rest area (Under construction)
		5	Sömmerda-Ost B 176
		6	Sömmerda-Süd
		7	Erfurt-Nord B 7
		8	Erfurt-Stotternheim
		9	Erfurt-Mittelhausen
		10	Erfurt-Gispersleben B 4
		11	Erfurt-Bindersleben B 7
		Talbrücke Apfelstädt
		12	Erfurt A 4
		13	Arnstadt-Nord
		14	Arnstadt-Süd
		Behringen Tunnel
		Wipfratalbrücke
		14b	Stadtilm B 90	Under construction
		15	Ilmenau-Ost B 88
		Talbrücke Altwipfergrund
		Talbrücke Streichgrund
		16	Ilmenau-West
		Talbrücke Reichenbach
		Talbrücke Zahme Gera
		Thüringer Wald Rest area
		17	Gräfenroda B 88
		Alte Burg Tunnel
		Talbrücke Schwarzbachtal
		Talbrücke Wilde Gera
		Rennsteigtunnel
		18	Oberhof
		Hochwald Tunnel
		19	Suhl/Zella-Mehlis B 62
		Talbrücke Steinatal
		Berg Bock Tunnel
		20	Suhl A 73
		Talbrücke Albrechtsgraben
		Talbrücke Seßlerstal
		Talbrücke Schafstalgrund
		Talbrücke Streitschlag
		Talbrücke Schwarza
		Talbrücke Rotes Tal
		Talbrücke Schindgraben (stone quarry)
		21	Meiningen-Nord B 19
		Talbrücke Judental
		Talbrücke Haseltal
		Talbrücke Werratal
		22	Meiningen-Süd B 89
		Eichelberg Tunnel
		Talbrücke Jüchsen
		Talbrücke Bibra
		23	Rentwertshausen
		Mellrichstadt Rest area
		24	Mellrichstadt B 285
		Bahratalbrücke
		Saaletalbrücke
		25	Bad Neustadt B 279
		26	Münnerstadt B 287
		Lautertalbrücke
		27	Maßbach
		Thalwassertalbrücke
		28	Bad Kissingen B 286
		Talbrücke Pfersdorf
		Talbrücke Maibach
		29	Poppenhausen B 286
		Wernbrücke Kronungen
		30	Schweinfurt-West B 303
		Wernbrücke Geldersheim
		31	Dreieck Werntal A 70

Characteristics

Buildings at Thuringian forest

While crossing the Thuringian Forest are a lot of large engineering works needed, the most notable are listed in the table below.

km	mi	building	length	max. height
92,5	575	Behringen Tunnel	465 meters (1,526 ft)
94,0	580	Wipfra viaduct	176 meters (577 ft)	15 meters (49 ft)
101,5	631	Altwipfergrund viaduct	278 meters (912 ft)	35 meters (115 ft)
102,5	637	Streichgrund viaduct	449 meters (1,473 ft) 450 meters (1,480 ft)	28 meters (92 ft)
107,0	660	Reichenbach viaduct	1,000 meters (3,300 ft)	60 meters (200 ft)
108,5	674	Zahme Gera viaduct	520 meters (1,710 ft)	63 meters (207 ft)
112,0	700	Alte Burg Tunnel	874 meters (2,867 ft) 866 meters (2,841 ft)
113,5	705	Schwarzbachtal viaduct	352 meters (1,155 ft) 322 meters (1,056 ft)	71 meters (233 ft)
114,0	710	Wilde Gera viaduct	552 meters (1,811 ft)	110 meters (360 ft)
114,5	711	Rennsteig Tunnel	7,916 meters (25,971 ft) 7,878 meters (25,846 ft)
123,5	767	Hochwald Tunnel	1,056 meters (3,465 ft)
126,0	780	Steinatal viaduct	445 meters (1,460 ft)	20 meters (66 ft)
126,5	786	Berg Bock Tunnel	2,738 meters (8,983 ft) 2,718 meters (8,917 ft)
131,0	810	Albrechtsgraben viaduct	770 meters (2,530 ft)	80 meters (260 ft)
133,5	830	Seßlestal viaduct	320 meters (1,050 ft)	53 meters (174 ft)
135,0	840	Schafstalgrund viaduct	525 meters (1,722 ft)	61 meters (200 ft)
137,0	850	Streitschlag viaduct	256 meters (840 ft)	33 meters (108 ft)
140,0	870	Schwarza viaduct	675 meters (2,215 ft)	68 meters (223 ft)
142,0	880	Rotes Tal viaduct	406 meters (1,332 ft)	19 meters (62 ft)
144,0	890	Schindgraben viaduct (stone quarry)	464 meters (1,522 ft)	55 meters (180 ft)
145,0	900	Judental viaduct	456 meters (1,496 ft)	45 meters (148 ft)
147,0	910	Haseltal viaduct	724 meters (2,375 ft) 714 meters (2,343 ft)	22 meters (72 ft)
149,8	931	Werratal viaduct	1,194 meters (3,917 ft)	34 meters (112 ft)
152,5	948	Eichelberg Tunnel	1,097 meters (3,599 ft) 1,123 meters (3,684 ft)
153,5	954	Jüchsen viaduct	369 meters (1,211 ft)	25 meters (82 ft)

Records

• Wilde Gera viaduct: with 252 m (827 ft) span length the largest Arch bridge in Germany, convicted by a street
• Rennsteig Tunnel: with 7,916 meters (25,971 ft) the longest Tunnel in Germany, and the fourth longest Tunnel with two parallel tubes in Europe

Gallery

• 

  A 71 crossing the Wipfratal, rightwards the Nuremberg–Erfurt high-speed railway and their gate to the Sandberg Tunnel

• 

  Werratal viaduct near the exit Meiningen-Süd, the longest bridge of the A 71 with a length of 1,194 m (3,917 ft)

• 

  Bibra viaduct between Rentwertshausen and Queienfeld

• 

  Heldrungen exit in the direction of Tunnel Schmücke ; Opened in September 2009

External links

• Bundesautobahn 71 – detailed route plan (in German)