A company building, a small and a large car garage with workshop and wash bay, several storage facilities and a gas station for the company. In addition, toilets and offices for the employees. The new motorway maintenance depot in Michendorf (Potsdam-Mittelmark district) celebrated the topping-out ceremony this week.
For the Autobahn GmbH des Bundes, which takes care of the Autobahns, it’s not just any of the around 160 Autobahn maintenance depots nationwide. It is the “most modern Autobahn maintenance depot in Germany”.
What makes the facility so special? “It is the first to be completed that is so low in CO₂,” says Ralph Brodel, spokesman for the Northeast branch. A photovoltaic system on the roof should supply 60 percent of the electricity that is required. Large buffer batteries should store the energy for times when there is little sunshine. In addition, there is a heat generation system based on pellet heating. According to the company, the wood pellets for combustion are produced from “natural, regional raw materials in Brandenburg”.
De-icing agent for winter service made from rainwater
“With Germany’s first low-CO₂ motorway maintenance depot, we are clearly setting standards in the Northeast branch and are pioneers when it comes to green motorway innovation,” says Ronald Normann, Director of the Northeast branch.
In addition to heat and electricity, the brine solution used for winter service is also to be treated in an environmentally friendly manner. To do this, the rainwater that falls on the roof is collected in taverns, mixed with salt and can thus be used as a de-icing agent on the streets. “There is 10 to 20 percent salt, depending on the weather. The solution ensures that it defrosts immediately when it is upset,” says Brodel.
Rainwater that does not fall on the roof should be able to seep away over the entire area of the plant. The motorway maintenance department should be up and running by the end of the year. The groundbreaking ceremony was at the beginning of October 2021.
According to the Autobahn GmbH, the southern Berlin Ring is one of the busiest motorways in Europe with a traffic volume of around 120,000 vehicles per day. The new motorway maintenance depot takes care of a total of almost 900 kilometers of road. This includes the A9 from the Beelitz-Heilstätten exit to the Potsdam Autobahn triangle and the A10 around the Potsdam triangle to just before Werder (Havel). The A115 from Dreieck Nuthetal to the state border of Berlin (Dreilinden) is to be added later.
For the master workshop, the staff is to be increased from the current 16 employees to more than 30 and then around 50. Road attendants are still being sought for this, says Brodel.
For the first time, the Meisterei also offers training. The training lasts three years. The employees check road surfaces, carry out minor repair work and traffic safety measures such as speed adjustments due to potholes, for example, cut trees and check wild fences. “It’s a demanding and varied job,” says Brodel.
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