The N3 Motorway

Opened 1966

With the opening of the N3 motorway on 27 May 1966, a new era of transport began for Rüschlikon and the communities along the left shore of Lake Zurich. The 21-kilometre section between Zurich Wollishofen and Richterswil was part of a national infrastructure project that had been planned as early as the 1910s. 

Construction was complex and controversial. A total of 220 objections were raised against the project, and around 160 hectares of land had to be acquired. Around Rüschlikon, the soft peat soil in the Moos posed particular challenges for engineers. Overall, 5.5 million cubic metres of earth were moved, thousands of trees were felled, and at times almost 500 machines were in operation simultaneously.

Despite these interventions, the N3 was celebrated at its opening as a technical and scenic achievement. Newspapers praised it as a well-executed work and as one of the most beautiful motorways in the country. The motorway promised relief from through traffic and faster connections, but it also brought noise, the fragmentation of the landscape, and lasting changes to the local environment. 

With the opening of the N3 in 1966, the Canton of Zurich established its first dedicated motorway police unit. Its task was to monitor the motorway section between Wollishofen and Richterswil and ensure road safety. For their operations, the officers were equipped with two Porsche 912s, two Volvo 121 Amazon cars, and four motorcycles.

For Rüschlikon, the N3 marked the transition from a lakeside and farming village to a modern suburban community – a visible sign of post-war progress whose effects are still felt today.