Host Nation Update, Aug 1, 2023
Big commotion in Baden Wuerttemberg
What was that green light in the sky? Mysterious green laser beams in the night sky are electrifying people around Stuttgart, who were wondering what was the reason for it. Have aliens landed in Baden-Württemberg? No. Even if some citizens of Baden-Württemberg had already suspected this. Because with the mysterious green light beam, which was to be seen in the evening over the region approximately around Stuttgart and to numerous speculations in the net had led, it could concern the effects of a Nasa research project. This was initially reported by the Stuttgart portal “Kesselblaulicht”, which also immediately published a photo of the light. According to this, the glow should be laser beams from Nasa’s ICESat-2 satellite. A spokeswoman of the police headquarters in Ludwigsburg contradicted the description in the morning: The light beams came from the celebrations to a firm’s anniversary, which was celebrated in the region that evening. She did not mention the name of the company, but the event had been registered. This was a somewhat trite explanation for the spectacle that had presented itself to the people between Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg in the evening. The recordings from Baden-Württemberg actually already resemble similar tracks of the Nasa satellite. This orbits the Earth since 2018, and measures, among other things, the height of ice layers. (T-online- August 1, 2023)
Expansion of the A 81 -Bridge to Sindelfingen fully closed
Once again, the six-lane expansion of the A 81 is causing a closure in the surrounding towns. In order to keep the disruption to a minimum, this is being timed to coincide with the vacation season. On the first weekend in August, the bridge between Böblingen and Sindelfingen will be fully closed. This was announced by Deges, the company responsible for the expansion. In this area, the new bridge over the highway will be completed in the coming months as part of the expansion of the A 81 and connected to the Böblingen and Sindelfingen road network. There will be no closures on the autobahn for this purpose. During the full closure, traffic safety will be in place for the coming months, Deges said. The full closure of the Böblinger and Sindelfinger roads affects both directions of travel. The section between Steinenbronner Straße in Sindelfingen and Jahnstraße in Böblingen will be closed. This will take place from Friday, August 4, at 10 p.m. until Monday, August 7, at 5 a.m. Road users are asked to follow the detours U 11 and U 12. Detour for cyclists and pedestrians will be signposted in good time. From Monday, August 7, until probably the end of 2023, Leibnizstrasse will also have to be fully closed between the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen, the former Smart site in Böblingen and the Dream Bowl bowling center. In the meantime, the Goldberg S-Bahn station and the bowling center will remain accessible from Friedrich-Gerstlacher-Strasse, according to Deges.
Accidents and storms in the southwest – Traffic jams at the start of the vacation season
As expected, the vacations in Baden-Württemberg have begun with many traffic jams and accidents. Especially on the highways to the south, the situation center in the Ministry of the Interior noted a high volume of traffic in recent days. In some places, rain-soaked roads also caused accidents during the night. On the A8 near Leonberg-West in the Böblingen district, an articulated truck left the road on Friday afternoon. The German Weather Service expects for Baden-Württemberg until the middle of the week further changeable weather with continuous rain, showers, thunderstorms and temperatures up to 24 degrees. At the start of the vacations, the ADAC in Baden-Württemberg spoke of one of the most congested weekends of the year. The whole of Germany was on summer vacation, and there was also a very high number of roadworks. Deutsche Bahn also noted increased demand, especially for connections to tourist destinations in the Black Forest and Lake Constance. At Stuttgart Airport, the busiest day was already on Friday. In total, up to 140,000 passengers were expected in the period from Thursday to Sunday inclusive. It is important that passengers bring a little patience and are well prepared, he said. Travelers should be at the airport between two and three hours before departure. (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, July 31)
Weather in Baden-Württemberg – Cold front overtakes southwest with rain and thunderstorms
This week will again be dominated by clouds and rain in Baden-Württemberg. According to the German Weather Service (DWD), it will remain mostly dry on Monday with temperatures of 19 degrees in the mountains and 26 degrees on the Upper Rhine. In the south of Baden-Württemberg, there will be isolated sunny spells. But in the night to Tuesday, a cold front from the British Isles will reach Baden-Württemberg, bringing showers and thunderstorms. A 24-hour continuous rain will follow in the Odenwald, Black Forest and Allgäu area with individual thunderstorms. On top of that, there will be partly heavy squalls in the mountains of up to 85 kilometers per hour. According to the DWD, temperatures will drop to 15 degrees in the mountains and 23 degrees in Kraichgau on Tuesday. The rain will stop from Tuesday noon for the time being. In some places, the sun will shine. “It will still not remain dry within the next few days,” said Kai-Uwe Nerding of the DWD. Throughout the week, rain, thunderstorms and sunny stretches should alternate. The temperature level will remain low, according to the forecast. “By the weekend, we are then even heading for a temperature minimum,” Nerding said. (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Aug 1)
Closure of S-Bahn main line in Stuttgart – Stressed passengers have great need for information
Since the weekend, the S-Bahn main line between the main station and Vaihingen has been closed, and the railroad has really done a lot to get travelers on the right track. Around the main station, through the platform hall, across the surrounding sidewalks, a thick green line winds its way, with green squares and arrows in one direction to the bus replacement service, and yellow squares and arrows in the other direction to the S-Bahn trains that will stop at the platforms above during the time of the closure. In addition, countless large and small posters, banners and signs provide information about the closure, the reason for it and, of course, about the many other construction sites in and around the station. Nevertheless, in view of the flood of information and multiple lines, one traveler says: “If you’ve never been here before and don’t know your way around at all, you can get desperate.” And on this first Monday of the vacation season, there really do seem to be many people who have never been to Stuttgart before. Some feel as if they are on a circular walk, others on a circuit workout, still others on a confusing scavenger hunt, in which the many scout groups on this Monday morning are almost symbolic. The “Reisendenlenker” (passenger guides)- as it says on the back of his vest, which is visible from afar – has his hands full between the two S-Bahn exits, which have been rigorously made virtually unrecognizable with large chipboard panels. “Direction Cannstatt?” he is asked. “Up in the station,” he points in the right direction. “Feuersee?” the next one arrives. “Up ahead, pass “Yormas shop” on the left and then follow the line to the beginning of Königstraße, that’s where the replacement is.” (Stuttgarter Nachrchten, July 31)
