The Austrian Ministry of Transport is actively promoting the New Lobau Tunnel project located in the capital city of Vienna. The project plans to construct an 8.2-kilometer-long new tunnel, connecting the southeastern part of the city and crossing the Danube River, as part of the S1 project. The S1 project costs 2.7 billion euros and aims to alleviate congestion, shorten the travel time of city drivers, divert heavy trucks from entering the city, and improve the safety of vulnerable road users in the city.

However, the project is highly controversial. Its route passes through the 2300 hectare Lobao National Park, which is part of the Danube Oin National Park and also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Strong environmental opposition forces emerged, and the Austrian Green Party launched a legal challenge, resulting in the project being halted in 2021.

Recently, a new ruling has allowed for the restart of the first phase of the project. Austrian road company Asfinag will bear the construction cost of the new connecting section, with the first project package being the construction of a new highway interchange ramp. Construction is expected to begin in 2026, with an estimated cost of 500 million euros. But if the Luobao Tunnel itself is approved, construction will start in 2030. The Austrian Ministry of Transport stated that the tunnel plan will allow the S1 highway to pass through the national park area at a depth of 60 meters underground, with the upper area remaining unchanged and not posing a threat to the national park. However, environmentalists are still concerned about construction disturbances and traffic emissions.

In fact, the project was originally planned to be proposed in 2001 to build the sixth bridge across the Danube River, but was later rejected due to environmental factors. Keywords: overseas engineering, international engineering construction

The new S1 connecting line is 19 kilometers long, with two lanes in each direction. In addition to the controversial tunnel section, the surface section has also been subject to ongoing controversy and criticism from environmentalists. These surface road sections include a 4.6-kilometer stretch connecting the intersection of Raasdorf and Seestadt, as well as a 3.2-kilometer stretch spanning Vienna Donaudastadt and connecting Sudosttangent and S1.Editor/Cheng Liting