Since February 2024, TTK and its partners CMG and BMd engineering have been carrying out a feasibility study on behalf of the municipalities of Schoenau (Alsace) and Weisweil (Baden-Württemberg) for a waterway connection across the Rhine between the two municipalities. The communities on either side of the Rhine used to be linked by a bridge that was demolished during the Second World War. The aim of the project is not only to estimate the potential and the costs, but also to study the technical and legal feasibility.
The results mainly show a need in the tourism and leisure sector. Given the low demand for daily travel, a seasonal service - with a focus on weekends - is deemed appropriate. The feasibility study recommended the following features for the ferry: a boat with a maximum capacity of 12 and the possibility of carrying bicycles. The feasibility study also made recommendations to improve access to the pontoons on foot and by bicycle (safe crossing arrangements on a departmental road, construction of ramps on the dykes, provision of bicycle parking).
The main results were presented to local residents at a public meeting on 06/05/2025 in the Rheinwaldhalle in Weisweil. Around a hundred interested citizens from the two communities attended the meeting and took the opportunity to put questions to the consulting firms and the mayors.
This public meeting marked the end of the feasibility study. Implementation of the project is now in the hands of the local authorities, who must - once funding has been successfully secured - launch the next phases of planning.