Solution found for southern access road to ad hoc arena

Just in timefor tomorrow's high-security match between FC Carl Zeiss Jena (FCC) and Hallescher FC, a viable solution has been found for the southern access road to the ad hoc arena at the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld. This means that it will now be possible to clearly separate the rival fan camps on arrival.

While home fans will be guided towards the stadium via the northern access road as usual, fans of Hallischer FC will be guided to the parking lot at Südbad (P4) via the southern access road after presenting a corresponding ticket. The aim of this measure is to counter potential conflicts in advance and largely prevent confrontations. The first successful test of the new access routes already took place on 31.10.2025 at the FCC home match against 1. FC Magdeburg.

"It was a process that took years to find a solution - it often felt like we had to cut a Gordian knot. So I'm all the more pleased that we managed to do it together," says Dirk Lange, Head of Urban Development and Environment.

More flexibility for stadium operations

The opening of the south access road not only creates additional safety, but also increases organizational flexibility in stadium operations.

"The stadium project is complete now that the south access road can be used. All of the construction work in the south was designed to allow guest fans to access the stadium via this access road and we can finally use parking lot P4 for our guests," explains Andreas Kuhn, Managing Director of the operating company elf5 Jena GmbH.

Why was a solution so difficult - and how does it work now?

The challenge arose from the fact that there are two completely separate traffic facilities right next to each other on the southern access road: a regular road junction and a level crossing. Both have different operators, legal frameworks and supervisory authorities - and rail traffic always has priority. As a result, there was a risk that vehicles would back up on the level crossing when the light was red and endanger rail traffic.

The solution that has now been implemented ensures that the level crossing communicates with the traffic lights: as soon as a train approaches, the traffic lights receive a signal from the railroad. The crossing is then cleared automatically by the traffic lights immediately switching to green and no more vehicles can remain on the level crossing. To achieve this, technical adjustments were made to the railroad system, the logic of the traffic light control system and additional sensors

"We have created a safe and robust technical solution that links the two systems together - without interfering with their basic structure. It was a challenging but very successful process," says Christopher Helbig, Head of Civil Engineering & Urban Space at Kommunalservice Jena.

Opening only on certain occasions

This special solution can only be used under certain conditions - including reduced speeds on Stadtrodaer Straße and limited traffic volumes. Therefore, the opening of the south access road is reserved exclusively for special events at the stadium.

Stakeholders involved

• Numerous partners were involved in implementing the solution, including
• Jenaer Nahverkehr as the rail operator
• EBA - the Federal Railway Authority as the responsible technical supervisory authority for JNV
• Jena City Council, Department III / Mobility Department, in the role of road traffic authority
• Jena City Council, Public Order Office, as the supervisory authority for special events
• Jena police station as security forces
• Kommunalservice Jena (KSJ) as operator of the traffic light system
• ARGE EAS Stadionbau as general contractor for the stadium construction project
• Elf5 Jena GmbH as manager and leaseholder of the Ernst Abbe sports field
• FC Carl Zeiss Jena as user of the stadium area

Note on tomorrow's match day (21.11.2025)

At the home match of FC Carl Zeiss Jena against Hallescher FC on 21.11.2025, the south access road to Stadtrodaer Straße will be opened for the guest fans. While the new traffic light system is in operation there, a 30 km/h speed limit will apply on the affected section so that traffic can flow smoothly and the system can work reliably. For safety reasons, speed will also be monitored by radar during this time.

The city of Jena asks all road users to observe the signs and to take the special conditions on match day into consideration.