Half-time

Split interim results for Vienna’s summer construction sites

Construction work on the new Favoritner "Supergrätzl" has also just begun.

(Bild: MA28 / Christian Fürthner)

Vienna's city administration is quite satisfied with this summer's construction sites. The larger projects are on schedule, and in some cases the timetable has even been beaten. Wiener Linien is also reporting partial successes. But the clock is ticking, the worst has to be done by the end of the school vacations.

The city started the extensive construction work on Altmannsdorfer Straße at the beginning of June with some stomach ache. At the halfway point of the construction site summer, relief is now spreading: The renovation of the important traffic link is not only going according to plan, but in some cases even better. On July 22, a week earlier than planned, two straight lanes were opened at the Sagedergasse junction, and two lanes in each direction on the Edelsinn Bridge could also be opened as early as August 6.

Major construction sites are on schedule
According to City Hall, the other major construction sites are on schedule: traffic on Wagramer Straße and Augartenbrücke should be able to flow again as planned after the end of the vacations. The fact that the complete renovation of the Augarten Bridge will take until next summer is largely due to the Federal Monuments Office, "for whom the visual appearance here is particularly important", according to the city.

Projects that are particularly relevant to traffic can be completed on schedule at the end of the vacations.

Stadt Wien, MA 28 für Straßenverwaltung und Straßenbau

The construction work on the Gürtel and most of the bicycle-friendly redesigns of streets - such as Operngasse, Uraniabrücke and Friedrichstraße - should also be completed by the end of August. However, the work on the Getreidemarkt, which has only just begun, will take until the end of September, but is promised to be completed from the end of August "outside of peak traffic times".

The new red asphalt concrete for the cycle path on Argentinierstraße should help to avoid future summer roadworks.

(Bild: Stadt Wien / Straßenverwaltung und Straßenbau)

Delight at successful asphalt experiment
We will have to wait longer for the completion of the major redesigns of Wiedner Hauptstraße and Äußere Mariahilfer Straße. These are also proceeding "according to plan", it is reported. This summer, MA 28 is also pleased with a successful new development of its own: the solid-colored red asphalt concrete for the cycle path used for the first time on Argentinierstraße promises not only better visibility, but also less maintenance work - and thus less trouble with future construction sites.

Some projects are just starting now
Anyone who has passed the Favoriten roundabout during the night recently will already know that another summer construction site is being opened here too, and preparatory work is already underway. But things will get serious on July 29. Then the access ramp from the Verteilerkreis to the Tangente northbound will be closed until August 12 so that its retaining wall can be renovated. Work on the Lueger Bridge, which spans the Wien River near the Auhof-Center in the west of Vienna, will last until the end of September. The bridge will become one-way in the direction of Penzing and will also be closed to HGVs.

Five new summer construction sites

In addition to the previous summer construction sites, there will be a total of five more at the halfway point. The associated traffic obstructions should end when school starts, even if some of the construction work takes longer.

Bridge construction work will also turn Brünner Straße in the area of the Marchfeld Canal into a bottleneck for the whole of August. Here, one of the two lanes will be closed alternately for surfacing and sealing work. There will also be two roadworks at once on Rautenweg between Wagramer Straße and Nordrand-Schnellstraße. These will also make it necessary for traffic in this area to be restricted to one lane for the most part until the end of August.

During the closure of the U4 tunnel this summer, over 200 cubic meters of concrete and 25 tons of steel have already been installed, according to Wiener Linien. According to the company, the work is on schedule.

(Bild: Wiener Linien / Simon Wöhrer)

Construction site timetable makes Wiener Linien sweat
Wiener Linien's interim summer construction site schedule has its ups and downs: The track construction work on Universitätsstraße, for example, has fallen behind schedule and is now not due to be completed until the end of September. However, this is blamed on "heavy rainfall events and a gas pipe breakage in the City of Vienna's major project". The construction work on the U1 underground line in Kagran will take a week less than planned: it will now only start on August 19, but will last until the end of November.

The other major projects - the construction of the Bim lines 12 and 27 as well as the renovation of the U4 tunnel between Schottenring and Schwedenplatz - are on schedule, according to the transport company. For the time being, however, they do not want to be pinned down to exact dates. The Bim lines should be available "in the fall". And the U4 closure should end "in September". Previously, continuous operation was promised from September 2. Information on all construction sites will be "continuously updated" on the internet and via app, it says.