New life for Riedelstrasse: retaining wall will be renovated in accordance with listed buildings!

New life for Riedelstrasse: retaining wall will be renovated in accordance with listed buildings!

From Wednesday, October 1, 2025, the city of Leipzig will begin construction and repair of the listed retaining wall on Riedelstrasse in the Reudnitz-Thonberg district. This measure is urgently necessary because the approximately 128 meter long retaining wall, which was built in 1915, is severely damaged and is no longer safe for traffic. The original construction is a type of construction that is often used to secure cuttings and embankments to ensure stable traffic routes and bodies of water. L-IZ.de reports that around 81 meters of the retaining wall will be demolished, while the remaining 47 meters will be repaired.

The replacement of the retaining wall is based on the original design of the cultural monument, so that the historical substance is largely preserved. In 2016, the original concrete parapet was replaced by a construction fence, which illustrates the precarious situation. The adjacent roadway on Riedelstrasse will be reduced to a width of 4.60 meters and asphalted during construction work. Access to the construction site will be maintained for pedestrians and cyclists throughout the entire construction period.

Construction work and remodeling

Before the actual new building, the Leipzig waterworks and Netz Leipzig will reroute the necessary pipes. The construction work is scheduled to last until spring 2027 and will cost a total of around 4.6 million euros. An important aspect of the measure is the newly planned barrier-free crossing aids, also known as sidewalk noses, which will be installed at the beginning and end of construction as well as halfway along Riedelstrasse.

The sidewalks on Riedelstrasse will be widened to a width of 2.50 meters, while parking spaces will be reduced. Around half of the existing parking space will be eliminated, which means that future parking options will only be available on one side along the southern sidewalk in the direction of Eilenburger Straße. In this context, new bicycle bars and support bars for cargo bikes will also be installed.

Green areas and tree felling

To make space for the construction pit, 16 street trees have to be felled and two large trees have to be transplanted. Nevertheless, the entire project will also set new green accents: a total of 18 new street trees with a continuous substrate strip are planned. In addition, two trees and other plantings will be created in Lene-Vogt-Park around Alfred-Frankplatz and Möbiusplatz. This meets modern urban planning requirements and promotes the improvement of urban greenery.

The decisions in the context of the retaining wall as well as the measures for traffic safety and accessibility are based on the constant requirements for quality assurance of construction projects in urban areas. Retaining walls, like the ones on Riedelstrasse, are essential for stability and must therefore be planned and maintained particularly carefully, as general information on retaining walls and their functionality shows Wikipedia.

Overall, this construction project represents an important step towards securing the city's infrastructure, which at the same time should also meet the demands of contemporary traffic routing and urban design. The citizens of Leipzig can look forward to the changes that Riedelstrasse will experience as a result of this extensive renovation.