N5 BIEL BYPASS

The project N5 Biel Bypass closes one of the last remaining gaps in the Swiss motorways network between Solothurn / Luterbach and Yverdon-les-Bains. In addition, it connects the N5 to the motorway N16 Transjurane and the motorway T6 Biel-Bern. The new bypass is an important development at supraregional level and intends to relieve Biel of its high traffic volume.

The N5 Biel Bypass looks back on a decades-long project history. The bypass is divided into two sections, an eastern branch and a western one. The eastern branch, called ‘Ostast’, was commissioned and put into service in October 2017. The western part of the bypass project is currently still in the procedural stage of project design and approval thereof. The three General Projects ‘Umfahrung Vingelz’, ‘Westast’ and ‘Zubringer rechtes Bielerseeufer’, all approved by the Swiss Federal Council, were merged for the subsequent planning stage ‘Ausführungsprojekt’. Studies of various options yielded solutions for the individual sections and elements of the project, ensuring that the requirements and needs of participants and affected parties are met to best advantage. Early in 2017, the planning approval procedure started with the publication of the official draft plans.

R+R is providing assistance in planning, project design and execution of the N5 Biel Bypass in its capacity as support unit for the overall project management team. R+R‘s main tasks are to advise and support the Cantonal Department of Civil Engineering in developing conceptual and administrative foundations, as well as to assist the project management team in strategic considerations and decision-making. This includes formulating objectives, developing project structures, defining processes and organisational aspects, together with economic investigations and legal assessments, all in close cooperation with the client. Further key activities lie in procuring external planning services, handling clarifications on issues regarding traffic operations and safety, and assisting in the process of finding and implementing project optimisation measures. In the context of the planning approval procedure, R+R supports the Department of Civil Engineering in processing objections and reservations.