In the east of Frankfurt, what belongs together grows together.

The Riederwald Tunnel is part of a motorway connection between the A 66 and the A 661 that has been planned for decades. The expressway is to run underground over a length of 1.1 kilometers through the north of the Frankfurt district of Riederwald.

This gap in the federal motorway network was originally intended to be closed much earlier.

Construction plans were already being discussed at the beginning of the 1960s;

work was to begin in 1974.

But critics have so far been able to prevent the project, citing costs, noise pollution and environmental damage.

Beetles could prevent clearing for the time being

Now this seemingly never-ending story is entering another, hopefully the last, round.

In the Fechenheim Forest, environmental activists have been occupying part of the 2.7 hectares of forest for over a year through which the motorway link is to run at the beginning of the next decade.

The number of demonstrators gathered there is limited – it is unlikely to be more than a few dozen at the moment – ​​and the wooden huts and tree houses they have erected can at best make the planned clearing more difficult.

However, a strictly protected beetle could become the real obstacle.

It is possible that the large oak buck (Cerambyx cerdo), also known as the hero's buck, giant buck or gemsbok, is doing its thing in the Fechenheim forest.

If the more detailed investigations currently underway confirm the presence of the beetle, in the worst case this could prevent the use of chainsaws in the upcoming winter clearing season.

Motorway gap could be closed by construction

If it came to that, it would be another sad episode in the endless tragedy surrounding the linking of the motorway network in the east of Frankfurt.

The Autobahn GmbH des Bundes, which was apparently completely surprised by the appearance of the Heldbock instead of investigating its possible presence early and specifically, is now relying on the principle of hope.

It's impossible for a small Beetle to stop a 600-million-euro project, that's the slogan, and the highway builders may even be right.

The Heldbock is no longer quite as rare and worthy of protection as it was a few years ago.

Whether he is suitable for the hero of the tree protectors can therefore be doubted.

What is certain, however, is that the route through the Riederwald tunnel would close one of the three major gaps in the state's autobahn network - the others are on the A 49 in Central Hesse and on the A 44 in North Hesse.

Contrary to what its opponents claim, the construction of the Riederwald tunnel is not out of date.

On the contrary, it is high time that this continued.