Green Party Demands Clarity from Hanke on "Billion-Dollar Concrete Projects"

The formal reason for the special session is the previously unfulfilled publication of the construction program of Asfinag, which, according to the Greens, should have been published by mid-October. The inquiry criticizes that the specific details of the planned construction projects are being kept secret.

Gewessler Criticizes Hanke for Road Projects

On Wednesday, the positions of the Greens and Infrastructure Minister Peter Hanke (SPÖ) clashed irreconcilably in the National Council regarding the government's road projects. Green club chairwoman Leonore Gewessler accused the head of the department of digging up projects from the mothballs and saddling today's children with billions in debt for tomorrow. The minister replied that he makes decisions based solely on facts and is already investing more money in the railway. Gewessler emphasized: "Whoever digs and paves a highway determines what the world looks like in which our children grow up." What is currently planned will result in people being stuck in traffic with even more cars on even more lanes. This would set Austria back decades in transport policy.

Hanke Points to Investments in the Railway

Hanke emphasized that six times as much is invested in the railway as in the road: "My personal focus is on the expansion of the rail and public transport." He makes decisions with his head and not with his gut. The minister defended the individual planned road projects, such as the Lobau Tunnel: "If we do nothing, we risk a traffic collapse in the entire eastern region." For Hanke, "Roads not only connect places but also people." He is not concerned with ideologically motivated wishes, but with the best solutions for the people in Austria.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.