The first highway in Luxembourg celebrates its 54th anniversary
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The first highway in Luxembourg celebrates its 54th anniversary
On February 2, 1971, the four-lane roadway stretching from the European Center in Kirchberg to Senningerberg was officially inaugurated as the first highway in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
With a length of just six kilometers, the opening of this new road took place with little fanfare. Strangely, the route crossing the Grünewald on the Kirchberg plateau did not receive much attention at the time of its inauguration, overshadowed by another expressway three times shorter: the predecessor of the A4.
A year earlier, in August 1970, the four-lane road connecting Esch and Pontpierre had been inaugurated and was considered Luxembourg’s first true highway. Though only 2.5 kilometers long, this major road project was a technical achievement for its time. With a thickness of sixty centimeters, layered to enhance durability, it was also equipped with a drainage system beneath its central median to efficiently evacuate water. By the standards of the era, these features gave the road increased resistance to weather conditions and heavy traffic.
To put things into perspective, in the 1960s, Luxembourg had around 55,000 vehicles—ten times fewer than the approximately 551,000 vehicles registered in the country in 2024.
However, from a regulatory standpoint, the predecessor of the A4 was not the country’s first official expressway. In contrast, the six-kilometer stretch linking Kirchberg to Senningerberg was placed under the jurisdiction of Article 156 of the Highway Code, which exclusively governs motorway traffic.
€495,000 per kilometer
When the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture and Viticulture, and future minister Jean-Pierre Büchler, announced the start of construction in September 1969 for the 2.5-kilometer stretch between the “Iron Metropolis” and Pontpierre, the initial budget estimate was set at 34 million Luxembourg francs, roughly €843,000. In the end, the total cost rose to 50 million francs, equivalent to approximately €1.24 million. Based on its length, this project amounted to around €495,000 per kilometer. Entirely funded by the Road Fund, the project represented one-fifth of its annual budget at the time.
Notably, observers at the time predicted that Esch and Luxembourg City would be fully connected within five years of the opening of the first section. Ultimately, it was in 1974 that the road reached Hollerich, making it the first district of Luxembourg City to be linked to Esch.
By Eliès Belaïd
