- Bundesautobahn 555
Bundesautobahn 555 (abbreviated BAB 555, short form Autobahn 555, abbreviated A555), connecting the cities of
Cologne andBonn , was constructed between1929 and1932 , and opened to traffic on August 6, 1932.Because it was the first public road that was limited to motorized vehicles and had no level crossings, it is commonly regarded as the oldest German Autobahn, even though it was only a country road at first and wasn't officially awarded Autobahn status until
1958 . Until it was extended to six lanes between1964 and1966 , there was no central barrier.Except for deceleration at each end, the A 555 did not have a speed limit, resulting in about 15 km of mostly straight three-lane-road on flat terrain, enabling motorists to drive their vehicles at top speed. Especially at night, speeds in excess of 200 km/h were not unusual. In
2004 , however, a speed limit was introduced around Wesseling for reasons of noise reduction, effectively cutting the area for legal speeding in half.In Cologne, the A 555 spur has the by-name "Diplomat race track", seemingly because foreign
diplomats and state visitors liked to take a spin from Bonn to Cologne and back when Bonn still was the capital of the Federal Republic ofGermany . Bonn locals, however, use that term for the B 9 where diplomats regularly sped under protection ofdiplomatic immunity .Exit list
BAB-Kreuz|2|
Köln -Süd |A|4| (Kölner Ring)
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