A sudden safety alert has caused the immediate closure of a busy street in Munich-Laim after construction workers uncovered large cavities beneath the roadway.
The discovery, made during soil inspections for the new Tram-Westtangente project, prompted police and transport authorities to shut down the area without delay on Tuesday morning.
Safety first — Fürstenrieder Straße closed in both directions
The Fürstenrieder Straße, one of the key north–south arteries in the city’s west, was closed northbound between Camerloherstraße and Gotthardstraße.
Traffic is now being diverted from Ammerseestraße, police confirmed. Access to residential properties remains possible, but the section will stay off-limits to general traffic until further notice.
A geotechnical expert has been called in to determine the cause of the voids.
Preliminary investigations show that the ground above the Laim U-Bahn station is unstable.
According to the Munich Transport Corporation (MVG), the cavities likely date back to the construction of the underground line more than three decades ago.
Decaying filler material from 1980s subway construction
MVG spokesperson Maximilian Kaltner told reporters that when the U5 terminus at Laim was built in 1988, parts of the sub-surface were filled with wooden material, which over the years has rotted and collapsed.
“The voids only became visible when workers opened the asphalt surface,” Kaltner said.
“During earlier ground checks, they could not be detected.”
The hollow sections were found during preparation work for the 8.3-kilometre Tram-Westtangente, a major new tram line that will connect five western districts with 17 stops.
Repairs could take up to two weeks
Engineers must now remove and refill the affected ground layers to stabilize the area.
According to MVG, these soil-replacement works could take several days to two weeks, depending on the extent of the damage — which remains under examination.
During the closure, several bus routes are being diverted:
- Lines 51 and 151 via Westendstraße between Ammerseestraße and Laimer Platz.
- Line 168 is rerouted via Westendstraße between Guido-Schneble-Straße and Laimer Platz.
- Tram-Westtangente: Munich’s biggest tram expansion in decades
When completed, the Tram-Westtangente will expand Munich’s tram network by around 10 percent, linking multiple U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines with new transfer hubs at Laim.
The first sections are scheduled to open in February 2026 — provided the ground repairs cause no major delays.
