Accordingly, the approximately 14.8-kilometre-long RS 8 is to connect the cities of Ludwigsburg, Remseck and Waiblingen. The feasibility study completed in 2019 has provided proof of the technical feasibility and economic benefits. The Ministry of Transport has determined that the construction burden will be shared between the districts of Ludwigsburg and Rems-Murr and the cities of Ludwigsburg and Waiblingen. This community received a funding decision for the planning in 2020. Planning began in 2022, which also included public participation in 2023. The results of several coordination meetings were integrated into the planning and resulted in significant changes, such as the route running north of the state road 1140 between Remseck and Ludwigsburg-Oßweil instead of south of the state road as originally planned. The joint website https://radschnellweg8-lb-wn.de of all project sponsors for the RS 8 is now available.
The administration has divided the route, for which the district is responsible, into two sections. The first section runs from the outskirts of Ludwigsburg-Oßweil, south of the Ostfriedhof cemetery, to the terminus of the subway line at Remseck-Neckargröningen. The preliminary planning envisages a route to the north of the L 1140 state road and has a construction standard of five meters, so that cyclists and agricultural vehicles can use it together. Following discussions with the city of Ludwigsburg, the northern route also opens up the possibility of the bus being able to use the route if necessary, i.e. in the event of a traffic jam on the L 1140. For the necessary land acquisition, the administration intends to commission an experienced external land purchaser and at the same time develop planning alternatives.
The carriageway and cycle path can be widened in the second construction phase
For the second construction section between Remseck and the district border near Hegnach, the cycle path must run parallel to the state road for topographical and nature conservation reasons. The difficulty lies in the fact that the space on both sides of the road is limited by a steep slope. To save space, the cycle path route is to be shared with the bus. Geological investigations and structural calculations have shown that the existing roadway and cycle path can be widened. An accompanying landscape conservation plan will balance and implement the necessary compensation.
According to the feasibility study, the costs for the realization of the entire route amount to a total of more than 31 million euros. The administration expects total costs of 5.5 million euros for the district section. As around 90 percent of the RS8 will be funded by the state and federal government if the funding criteria are met, the district's own contribution would be around 550,000 euros. The aim is to start work on the second section by the end of 2025.
