S37 safety upgrade

Expressway to St. Veit to be widened this year

Landeshauptmann Peter Kaiser, Asfinag Vorstand Hartwig Hufnagl und Landesrat Martin Gruber beim Spatenstich für den Sicherheitsausbau der S37 in St.Veit.

(Bild: Markus Tiefling)

Today's ground-breaking ceremony marked the start of one of the most important future road safety projects in Carinthia. Together with the state of Carinthia and Asfinag, 65 million euros will be invested in safety for the reconstruction of the S37 expressway in the first construction phase.

The safety reconstruction of the S37 expressway between Klagenfurt and St. Veit begins today. This is a construction project six kilometers long, which is divided into three construction phases and widens the carriageway from 15 meters to 20.5 meters. The first construction phase, starting at St. Veit Süd, will take the whole of this year to complete. 65 million euros have been earmarked for the initial investment. The next section will begin next year from St. Veit Mitte.

The victims of accidents have also been thought of
"Road safety is particularly important to us. Unfortunately, there have been many fatalities on the section of road between Klagenfurt and St. Veit in recent years, and I cannot fail to mention them on this happy day. The widening of the road is therefore a very important step and a visible sign of a positive and hopefully safer future," said Governor Peter Kaiser. 

The construction project, which not only includes the road widening, also includes the construction of breakdown bays and rest areas, which on the one hand will be a huge milestone, but on the other hand will also guarantee more safety in traffic.

As ASFINAG, we bear responsibility for this area of infrastructure not only in terms of technical or planning development, but also in economic terms.

Hartwig Hufnagl, Vorstand der Asfinag

So much is being invested in safety
In the St. Veit South to St. Veit North section, we are investing 65 million euros for the entire construction project. Asfinag is investing 135 million in Carinthia throughout the year and 175 million next year for safety in Carinthia. In the years 2023 - 2028, a total of 857 million euros will be spent on safety on Carinthia's roads," says Hartwig Hufnagl.

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Restrictions must be accepted
"Our construction sites are not an end in themselves, but a means to an end. We also have to plan for restrictions for our road users over the next 2 to 3 years. But these must also be accepted. We can only build the road if we keep one lane closed at all times," says Alexander Walcher, Managing Director of Asfinag Bau Management. 

New bridge construction and total closures are also coming
In order to be able to carry out the widening of the road correctly, the bridges that carry traffic over the S37 must also be renewed. During the reconstruction period, temporary bridges and a traffic light system will be used to avoid holding up traffic unnecessarily. "At weekends, there may also be total closures of the S37, which will unfortunately be necessary in order to complete the construction section as quickly as possible. We have to build, because a road doesn't build itself!" concluded Alexander Walcher, commenting on the construction project.