States: North Rhine-Westphalia Highway system German autobahns | Length 94 km | |
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Bundesautobahn 40 (translates from German as Federal Motorway 40, short form Autobahn 40, abbreviated as BAB 40 or A 40), (named A 430 until the early 1990s) is one of the most used Autobahns in Germany. It crosses the Dutch-German border as a continuation of the Dutch A67 and crosses the Rhine, leads through the Ruhr valley toward Bochum, becoming B 1 (Bundesstraße 1) at the Kreuz Dortmund West and eventually mergeing into the A 44 near Holzwickede.
Map of A40, Germany
It has officially been named Ruhrschnellweg (Ruhr Fast Way), but locals usually call it Ruhrschleichweg (Ruhr Crawling Way) or "the Ruhr area's longest parking lot". According to Der Spiegel, it is the most congested motorway in Germany.
In the city of Essen, a Stadtbahn service operates on the median of the A 40 between Tunnel Ruhrschnellweg and Mülheim-Heißen. Between the Essen-Huttrop and the Essen-Kray junctions, there is a guided bus system called Spurbus.