Lobau Tunnel Project Faces potential Scrapping After Strategic Review
Vienna – A long-contested infrastructure project, the Lobau Tunnel – intended to alleviate traffic congestion in Vienna – is facing potential deletion from Austria’s Federal Roads Act following a strategic review initiated in 2022. The advice to remove the tunnel from the law comes as cost estimates for the project have reached 2.4 billion euros, according to the “strategic test traffic” (SP-V) report published in 2025.
The Lobau Tunnel, an 8.2-kilometer structure planned to run under the Danube and the 2,300-hectare Lobau nature reserve, has been a source of intense debate. Proponents argue it’s a crucial component of Vienna’s S1 outer ring road and the broader “regions ring” connecting Schwechat and Süßenbrunn. opponents, however, raise concerns about the environmental impact on the Donau-Auen National Park and the potential for increased traffic contradicting climate goals.
The project,initially submitted by ASFINAG in 2009,underwent a nine-year environmental impact assessment (RRP). While the Federal Administrative Court gave construction the green light in spring 2018 - albeit with conditions - legal challenges have persisted. Despite no longer appearing in ASFINAG’s construction programme since September 2022, the Viennese Foreign Ring Schnellstraße remains listed in the Federal Roads Act (BStG 1971).
Beyond the tunnel itself, the Northeastern bypass project includes two additional connection streets: a 4.6-kilometer link between the Raasdorf node and the Seestadt district, and a 3.2-kilometer route connecting Vienna-Donaustadt to the Southeast Tangent (A23, Hirschstetten junction). Both of these connections fall under federal government obligation,alongside the tunnel project. Further details on the ongoing legal battles surrounding the Lobau Tunnel can be found in a recent report.
