"[A3] is an autobahn in Germany that links the border to the Netherlands near Wesel in the northwest to the Austrian border near Passau in the southeast. Major cities along its total length of 483 miles (778km) include Oberhausen, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Leverkusen, Cologne, Wiesbaden, Frankfurt, Würzburg, Nuremberg and Regensburg. The A 3 is a major connection between Rhine-Ruhr area and southern Germany, resulting in heavy traffic. Consequently, large parts have three lanes (plus emergency lane) for each direction, including a 187.5 miles (300km) long part between Oberhausen and Aschaffenburg. Some parts in the Cologne and Frankfurt area have been upgraded to four lanes, which is a second for German Autobahns after Darmstadt - Frankfurt (part of the A5) in the seventies. Between Cologne and Frankfurt an ICE high-speed railway line (187.5 mph) (300km/h) closely follows the A 3's route."