On Friday, October 10th, workers building the new tram line discovered the hole at the intersection with Gotthardstrasse during “routine ground investigations,” according to the MVG (Munich Transport Company). The site manager, Andreas Vogt, stated it is about four meters deep—and bodes ill: a cavity appears to have formed underground along the blocking level of the Laimer Platz subway station.
Investigations on Monday, October 13th, suggested there could be more cavities, extending along Gotthardstrasse towards the city center and, consequently, beneath the intersecting Fürstenrieder Strasse. On Tuesday, Munich police closed the northbound car lane between Camerloherstrasse and Gotthardstrasse.
Risk of Collapse! The situation recalls the 1994 Trudering bus accident, when a bus plunged into a similar cavity under the street, killing three people and injuring 36. Site Manager Vogt explained: “We wanted to avoid something like what happened in Trudering back then. That’s why we closed the street as a safety precaution.” The consequences for drivers are traffic jams, detours, and significant delays.
According to Andreas Vogt, the cavities are likely a long-term consequence of the subway construction at Laimer Platz in 1988. A large pit was dug at the site at that time and secured with a wall of steel beams and wood—a so-called support structure. The blocking level was built within this framed pit. Once completed, everything was backfilled, including the wall. “That wall has probably rotted away by now,” Vogt said. Rainwater is then believed to have further enlarged the cavities.
The suspicion was confirmed on Tuesday around 2:00 PM. Using a probing rod, workers tested the density of the ground under the eastern side of Fürstenrieder Strasse. The result, according to Andreas Vogt: “The ground is not sufficiently compact up to a depth of eight meters. This suggests further cavities.”
To repair this, Vogt stated that the ground along the blocking level must be excavated. “From a depth of eight meters down to four meters, we will fill it with cement mortar—everything above that with gravel and concrete.” The process could take time. The MVG announced that Fürstenrieder Strasse in the northbound direction will remain closed for “a few days up to two weeks.”
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