Chaos in Braunschweig's Packhof underground car park: roller shutter blocks the exit!

Chaos in Braunschweig's Packhof underground car park: roller shutter blocks the exit!

There was a disturbing accident in the Packhof underground car park in Braunschweig on Friday evening, September 5th, which affected around 70 drivers. From 9 p.m. onwards, it was no longer possible to leave the garage because the roller door did not open and the barrier remained partially down. Drivers waiting for help unfortunately discovered that the intercom was not working. The call center employee was overwhelmed by the situation and the attempt to operate the gate using a button failed. Eventually, a metal chain broke while trying to open the gate manually. After about half an hour, the police arrived and, together with an underground car park employee, were able to open the metal gate electrically. It turned out that the emergency stop switch had been activated, preventing the gate from opening. Normally, drivers should be able to leave the underground car park after 9 p.m., but that didn't work in this case News38 reports.

The situation is particularly explosive because the Packhof underground car park is in the midst of extensive renovation. The renovation was originally scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024, but the completion date has now been pushed back to the end of May 2025. Defects discovered during the work meant that the scope of work had to be expanded. Many of the technical systems date back to 1978 and 1979 and are in urgent need of renovation. Although the sprinkler system and wall hydrants were modernized in 2018, more extensive work is now required. The ventilation technology is currently being renewed and adapted to new standards. In addition, a new electrical system will be installed, along with comprehensive control technology, as the city administration explained in a statement. That reports GUV Braunschweig.

Extensive renovation measures

Further work includes the installation of a new replacement network system as well as the renewal of the elevator system and the renovation of the underground pipes. These delays, caused by unforeseen defects, not only significantly disrupted everyday operations, but also meant that the city of Braunschweig had to take appropriate compensatory measures. Among other things, a Park + Ride service will be set up on the exhibition grounds and short-term parking spaces will be available at Meinhardshof. On Advent weekends, the Eiermarkt underground car park will be temporarily open all day. The city also recommends the use of alternative parking garages such as Lange Straße, Eiermarkt, Steinstraße, Schloss-Arkaden and Wilhelmstraße.

But there is also a positive perspective: the city administration and city marketing are working intensively to reduce the disruption for citizens to a minimum and to provide regular updates. Thanks to such measures, those responsible are optimistic that they will be able to reopen the underground car park by the end of May 2025.

Innovations and standards

The renovation of the underground car park is part of a larger trend in urban planning and development, which also follows the current standards set out in the DBV leaflet “Parking garages and underground car parks”. The third revised edition of this leaflet not only contains current requirements for the planning and execution of new parking structures, but also information on electromobility and climate protection. These aspects are of particular importance in the renovation of the Packhof underground car park, as evidenced by the updates and recommendations published in recent years, such as Parking currently summarizes.

Overall, it shows that the city of Braunschweig continues to have a good knack for meeting the challenges of renovation and the associated problems. While citizens have to be patient, there remains hope that the Packhof underground car park will be completed soon and can be used smoothly.