Hanke presented plans for Asfinag road projects

These were the plans that his predecessor and Green Party club chairwoman Leonore Gewessler demanded in mid-October. The review of the individual projects has now been completed, Hanke noted. Around 3.8 billion euros are to be invested in the projects, with the S1 and A5 included in the construction program and the S10 and S36 to be continued.

The construction phase is set to begin in 2026 with the S1, the Vienna Outer Ring Expressway with the Lobau Tunnel between the Schwechat junction and the Süssenbrunn junction, and is expected to last until 2040. The S34 Traisental Expressway is not yet included in the calculations, as legal proceedings related to the Wörth connection are still pending, Hanke said to journalists on Thursday.

Hanke Presents Asfinag New Construction Projects: Value Creation Significantly Exceeds Costs

The Ministry of Transport had the construction projects evaluated by Gerhard Streicher from the Economic Research Institute (Wifo) and Wolfgang Schwarzbauer from Eco Austria, and determined the cost-benefit present value based on the current year. "As the studies show, we achieve multiple value creation of several billion euros," said Hanke. These are exclusively gap closures that have been examined in independent legal proceedings and over many years, added Asfinag board director Hartwig Hufnagl.

The economists' calculations showed in a present value analysis that, for example, the costs for the S1 amounting to 2.3 billion euros are offset by a value creation of around 4 billion euros. Costs of 2.8 billion euros are budgeted here. For the S10, the Mühlviertel Expressway, costs of 266 million euros are offset by a value creation of 420 million euros. For the A5, the Weinviertel Motorway, Wifo and Eco Austria calculate around 61 million euros when construction and operation are combined. This is offset by a value creation of 850 million euros for the connection to Brno. For the Traisental Expressway (S34), 235 million euros are budgeted. This is offset by a calculated value creation of 265 million euros. And for the S36, the Murtal Expressway, construction and operating costs amount to 452 million euros. Here, the cost-benefit ratio is unfavorable, as the economists quantify the benefit present value at 350 million euros.

Criticism from Greenpeace and VCÖ

Approval for the plans came as expected from coalition partner ÖVP. "The People's Party continues to stand for gap closures and safety constructions," noted transport spokesperson Joachim Schnabel. Now it is about the rapid implementation of these projects. For the Greens, however, the construction of the Lobau Tunnel is "forgetful of the future and counterproductive in terms of transport policy," said Elisabeth Götze, the Green Party's transport spokesperson, according to a press release.

Greenpeace, on the other hand, cannot support the plans of Asfinag and the Ministry of Transport: "Despite the budget crisis, Transport Minister Hanke is firing up the concrete mixer," said Marc Dengler, climate and energy spokesperson for the NGO. Austria already has one of the longest and densest road networks in Europe. The Austrian Transport Club (VCÖ) also pointed out in a press release the very well-developed motorway and expressway network. Instead, public transport should be expanded, said VCÖ expert Michael Schwendinger. In addition, there is enough need for renovation. The WWF, in turn, criticized that the planned projects counteract the republic's climate protection goals, said WWF spokesperson Simon Pories.

(APA/Red)

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