The Austrian Transport Ministry is keen to push ahead with the new Lobau Tunnel project for capital, Vienna. The controversial project will see the construction of a new 8.2km tunnel link in the South East of the city, running underneath the River Danube. The €2.7 billion project for the S1 is intended to address congestion and cut journey times for drivers in the city, diverting heavy truck traffic away from entering Vienna. This will also help to increase safety for vulnerable road users in the city.
However, the project is highly controversial as the route runs underneath the 2,300ha Lobau National Park, part of the Danube-Auen National Park and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Environmental opposition to the project has been strong, with Austria’s Green Party having managed to bring a legal challenge that halted work in 2021.
But final approval has yet to be gained for the Lobau Tunnel itself. Should this be given, construction work would then start in 2030. Austria’s Transport Ministry says that the tunnel option will route the S1 at a depth of 60m underneath the national park, which will remain undisturbed and therefore not pose a threat to the national park above. But environmentalists are still concerned over the disturbance caused by the construction as well as the traffic emissions. The initial plan, mooted as far back as 2001, was for a sixth bridge spanning the River Danube but this was rejected, partly due to environmental factors.
In all, the new S1 link would measure 19km and feature two lanes in either direction. The surface sections of the S1 are also controversial and have faced criticism from environmentalists also. These sections are for a 4.6km connection between the junction at Raasdorf and Seestadt and a 3.2km stretch across Vienna-Donaustadt, linking the Südosttangente with the S1.
