Overview
- Crews began removing the so‑called “Käferinsel,” the remaining habitat of the protected Heldbockkäfer, on February 23.
- The Hessian Administrative Court (VGH) rejected suits by BIEGL and AUA in January, accepting possible larval deaths but finding mitigation and the A66 link’s public interest decisive.
- Felled, beetle‑inhabited timber is being collected for transfer to an adjacent forest so larvae can hatch there rather than being transported as ordinary wood.
- A large police deployment monitored the operation, and a spokesperson reported no signs of protest at the site.
- Autobahn GmbH cites the 2.2 km A66 link—about half in tunnel—as a roughly €1.5 billion project whose 2033 completion target will slip, and its projected traffic relief is contested by local groups.