District heating expansion continues
SWG is supplying parts of Alter Wetzlarer Weg and Wilhelmstraße with district heating.
The city of Giessen is pursuing the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2035. District heating is an important building block in this project. This is because it makes it comparatively easy to decarbonise the heating sector. Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) is playing its part and is gradually expanding the district heating network. At the beginning of June, work will continue in Alter Wetzlarer Weg and Wilhelmstraße.
In Alter Wetzlarer Weg, SWG will be laying district heating pipes from the junction with Klinikstraße from 8 June 2026. At the same time, they will be replacing the ageing natural gas and drinking water pipes. Although this approach will extend the construction time slightly, it is the most favourable solution overall for everyone involved. "This way, our colleagues only have to open the carriageway surface once. This minimises the inconvenience for local residents," explains Ulli Boos, company spokesperson for SWG.
Once this construction phase is complete, SWG will work its way south of the junction in Alter Wetzlarer Weg as far as house number 65. The third and final construction phase will run northwards from the junction. Everything should be finished by the end of September 2026.
Construction work on Wilhelmstrasse will also start on 8 June. Unlike in Alter Wetzlarer Weg, however, only the new district heating pipes will be buried here. Because SWG is laying a total of around 430 metres of pipe, they have also divided this construction project into different sections. First, SWG is laying the pipes between St. Josef's Hospital and the junction with Rodthohl. The work will then continue to Ludwigstraße.
This type of work inevitably involves certain restrictions for neighbouring residents. "We are doing everything we can to minimise the disruption to everyday life," emphasises Ulli Boos. Because the pipes are located under the carriageway and pavement, both Alte Wetzlarer Weg and Wilhelmstraße will have to be fully closed to traffic in sections. This means that the car parks in the affected area will also be closed. Diversions are signposted.