# Bundesautobahn 61

50°18′53″N 7°29′40″E﻿ / ﻿50.31472°N 7.49444°E﻿ / 50.31472; 7.49444
Bundesautobahn 61 (translates from German as Federal Motorway 61, short form Autobahn 61, abbreviated as BAB 61 or A 61) 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 120 km/h (75 mph).
The section between the junctions Wanlo and Jackerath was upgraded to three lanes in 2005. The speed limit there is 130 km/h (81 mph), paid for by RWE Power that in return received permission to close a section of A 44 for their Garzweiler surface mining operation. By 2017, the A 44 will be restored and the Wanlo-Jackerath-section of the A 61 will be closed instead.
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.
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 A 74 |
| (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 A 52 |
| (10) | Mönchengladbach-Nordpark |
| (11) | Mönchengladbach-Holt |
| (12) | Mönchengladbach-Rheydt |
| (13) | Mönchengladbach-Wickrath |
| (14) | Mönchengladbach-Güdderath |
| (15) | MG-Wanlo 4-way interchange A 46 |
| (incl.) | Wanlo (new exit) |
| (16) | Jackerath 4-way interchange A 44 |
| | Services Bedburger Land |
| (17) | Bedburg |
| (18) | Bergheim |
| (19) | Bergheim-Süd |
| (20) | Kerpen 4-way interchange A 4 E40 |
| (21) | Türnich |
| (22) | Gymnich - Nörvenich |
| (23) | Erfttal 3-way interchange A 1 E31 |
| (108) | Erftstadt |
| (24) | Bliesheim 4-way interchange A 1 E29 A 553 |
| (25) | Weilerswist |
| (26) | Swisttal-Heimerzheim |
| (27) | Miel |
| | Services Peppenhoven |
| (28) | Rheinbach |
| (29) | Meckenheim 4-way interchange A 565 |
| | Goldene Meile parking area |
| (30) | Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler 3-way interchange A 573 |
| | Talbrücke Bengen ca. 1000 m |
| | Ahrtalbrücke 1521 m |
| (31) | Sinzig 3-way interchange A 571 |
| | Vinxtbachtalbrücke 670 m |
| (32) | Niederzissen |
| | Brohltalbrücke 603 m |
| | Services Brohltal |
| (33) | Wehr |
| (34) | Mendig |
| (35) | Kruft |
| | Nettebrücke 700 m |
| (36) | Plaidt |
| (37) | Koblenz 4-way interchange A 48 E44 |
| (38) | Koblenz-Metternich |
| | Raststätte Winningen |
| | Moselle Viaduct Winningen 935 m |
| (39) | Koblenz/Dieblich |
| | Services Mosel |
| (40) | Koblenz/Waldesch |
| (41) | Boppard |
| (42) | Emmelshausen |
| (43) | Pfalzfeld |
| (44) | Laudert |
| | Guldenbachbrücke 200 m |
| (45) | Rheinböllen |
| | Pfädchensgrabentalbrücke 665 m |
| | Tiefenbachtalbrücke 365 m |
| | Services Hunsrück |
| (46) | Stromberg (Hunsrück) |
| (47) | Waldlaubersheim |
| (48) | Dorsheim |
| | Nahetalbrücke 523 m |
| (49) | Bingen |
| (50) | Nahetal 3-way interchange A 60 E42 |
| (51) | Bad Kreuznach |
| (52) | Gau-Bickelheim |
| (53) | Bornheim |
| (54) | Alzey 4-way interchange A 63 |
| (55) | Alzey |
| | Talbrücke Alzey 539 m |
| | Talbrücke Dautenheim 390 m |
| (56) | Gundersheim |
| (57) | Worms/Mörstadt |
| | Services Wonnegau |
| | Talbrücke Pfeddersheim 1.471 m |
| (58) | Worms |
| (59) | Frankenthal 4-way interchange A 6 E50 |
| (60) | Ludwigshafen 4-way interchange A 650 |
| (61) | Mutterstadt 4-way interchange A 65 |
| | Services Dannstadt |
| (62) | Schifferstadt |
| (63) | Speyer |
| | Rheinbrücke 478 m |
| (64) | Hockenheim |
| (65) | Hockenheim 3-way interchange A 6 E50 |
* Exit Coordinate list
* ↑ 50°53′40″N 6°41′44″E﻿ / ﻿50.89444°N 6.69556°E﻿ / 50.89444; 6.69556﻿ (Kreuz Kerpen) Kreuz Kerpen
* ↑ 50°18′53″N 7°29′40″E﻿ / ﻿50.31472°N 7.49444°E﻿ / 50.31472; 7.49444﻿ (Moselle Viaduct) Moselle Viaduct
* ↑ 49°46′30″N 8°06′40″E﻿ / ﻿49.77500°N 8.11111°E﻿ / 49.77500; 8.11111﻿ (Alzey Kreuz) Alzey Kreuz
* ↑ 49°20′00″N 8°33′06″E﻿ / ﻿49.33333°N 8.55167°E﻿ / 49.33333; 8.55167﻿ (Hockenheim Dreieck) Hockenheim Dreieck
* Termini Coordinate list
* ↑ 49°20′00″N 8°33′06″E﻿ / ﻿49.33333°N 8.55167°E﻿ / 49.33333; 8.55167﻿ (Hockenheim Dreieck) Hockenheim Dreieck