is an autobahn in Germany that connects the border to the Netherlands near Venlo in the northwest to the interchange with A 6 near Hockenheim. In 1965, this required a redesign of the Hockenheimring.
The autobahn runs parallel to the A 3 on the opposite side of the Rhine. Between Mönchengladbach and Bergheim in the north and Worms, Ludwigshafen and Speyer in the south, it cuts through the landscapes of Eifel and Hunsrück, avoiding areas of dense population while still in proximity to Cologne, Bonn, Koblenz and Bingen.
The A 61, built in the 1970s, is the most western connection from the Netherlands and Belgium to southern Germany so many trucks and tourists from these countries frequent the A 61.
Between Kreuz Mönchengladbach and Wanlo, the speed limit is .
The section between the junctions Wanlo and Jackerath was upgraded to three lanes in 2005. The speed limit there is , paid for by RWE Power that in return received permission to close a section of A 44 for their Garzweiler surface mining operation.
Between Dreieck Erfttal and Kreuz Bliesheim the A 1 and A 61 run concurrently. The motorway has three lanes each way and a variable speed limit here.
As of 4 April 2012, the A 61 continues into the Netherlands as A74. This short motorway connects the A 61 at the border with the Dutch A 73. Previously, all traffic had to go through the city of Venlo.Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu: Nieuwe snelweg tussen Venlo en Duitsland geopend (Dutch)
Part of the A61 motorway near the village of Gelsdorf had been designed for use as a runway to service travel to the nearby Government bunker facility and in an emergency a section would have been dedicated for use as an airport with spacious aircraft parking spaces at both ends disguised as roadside car parks.
Exit list
Netherlands (1a)Border crossing Heidenend (1b)Nettetal-West (2)Kaldenkirchen (3)Kaldenkirchen-Süd (4)Breyell (5)Nettetal (6)Süchteln (7)Viersen (8)Mackenstein (9) Mönchengladbach 4-way interchange (10)Mönchengladbach-Nordpark (11)Mönchengladbach-Holt (12)Mönchengladbach-Rheydt (13)Mönchengladbach-Wickrath (14)Mönchengladbach-Güdderath (15) MG-Wanlo 4-way interchange (incl.)Wanlo (new exit) (16) Jackerath 4-way interchange Services Bedburger Land (17)Bedburg (18)Bergheim (19)Bergheim-Süd (20) Kerpen Kreuz Kerpen 4-way interchange (21)Türnich (22)Gymnich - Nörvenich (23) Erfttal 3-way interchange (108)Erftstadt (24) Bliesheim 4-way interchange (25)Weilerswist (26)Swisttal-Heimerzheim (27)Miel Services Peppenhoven (28)Rheinbach (29) Meckenheim 4-way interchange Goldene Meile parking area (30) Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler 3-way interchange Talbrücke Bengen ca. 1000 mAhrtalbrücke 1521 m (31) Sinzig 3-way interchange Vinxtbachtalbrücke 670 m (32)NiederzissenBrohltalbrücke 603 m Services Brohltal (33)Wehr (34)Mendig (35)KruftNettebrücke 700 m (36)Plaidt (37) Koblenz 4-way interchange (38)Koblenz-Metternich Raststätte WinningenMoselle Viaduct Moselle Viaduct Winningen 935 m (39)Koblenz/Dieblich Services Mosel (40)Koblenz/Waldesch (41)Boppard (42)Emmelshausen (43)Pfalzfeld (44)LaudertGuldenbachbrücke 200 m (45)RheinböllenPfädchensgrabentalbrücke 665 mTiefenbachtalbrücke 365 m Services Hunsrück (46)Stromberg (Hunsrück) (47)Waldlaubersheim (48)DorsheimNahetalbrücke 523 m (49)Bingen (50) Nahetal 3-way interchange (51)Bad Kreuznach (52)Gau-Bickelheim (53)Bornheim (54) Alzey Alzey Kreuz 4-way interchange (55)AlzeyTalbrücke Alzey 539 mTalbrücke Dautenheim 390 m (56)Gundersheim (57)Worms/Mörstadt Services WonnegauTalbrücke Pfeddersheim 1.471 m (58)Worms (59) Frankenthal 4-way interchange (60) Ludwigshafen 4-way interchange (61) Mutterstadt 4-way interchange Services Dannstadt (62)Schifferstadt (63)SpeyerRheinbrücke 478 m (64)Hockenheim (65) Hockenheim Hockenheim Dreieck 3-way interchange
Exit Coordinate list
Termini Coordinate list
References
External links