Start of construction of the Lueg Bridge: Protests for tunnel solution planned!

Start of construction of the Lueg Bridge: Protests for tunnel solution planned!

On Monday, April 1, 2025, the general renovation of the Lueg Bridge on the Brenner Autobahn (A13) officially began. The renewal of the 1.8-kilometer bridge, which dates from the 1960s, is estimated with total costs of 380 million euros. The decision on the comprehensive renewal was made by the Ministry of Transport, ASFINAG and the state government, since the bridge has arrived "at the end of the service life" according to ASFINAG.

The work includes the construction of a new bridge structure, the completion of which will be sought until 2027. The entire project should be completed by 2030. 62,000 cubic meters of concrete, 9,500 tons of steel, 64,000 square meters of asphalt and 10,000 tons of reinforcement are required for the construction. The pure construction costs amount to 217 million euros. The construction groups Strabag and Porr received the order for renewal.

traffic impairments and protests

since January, traffic on the Lueg Bridge has largely been single -lane, although traffic can flow in two lanes over 180 days a year. Despite these restrictions, there has been no large traffic chaos by the wayside. The mayor of Gries am Brenner, Karl Mühlsteiger, plans a protest rally on the highway to advocate an alternative tunnel solution. This planned protest meeting is scheduled to take place at the end of May or early June after an earlier event was not approved by the authority in autumn 2024.

Critics of the construction plans support a tunnel solution to reduce the traffic load and protect the environment. The ongoing discussions show how important infrastructure projects are for the residents and how they deal with the concerns of the community.

European subsidies for traffic projects

In the context of infrastructural developments, the Lueg Bridge also becomes part of larger European initiatives. As part of the "Connecting Europe" facility (CEF), the European Commission is investing around 7 billion euros in 134 traffic projects, of which a significant part benefits climate protection. 83% of the funds are used for projects that support climate goals while 80% of the funds flow into rail projects. This shows the focus on sustainable transport infrastructure, which could also be important for the continued modernization of the Lueg Bridge.

In Austria, four projects benefit from the EU funds, including the inlet route for the Brenner Basi tunnel and the expansion of the railway line between Leibnitz and Spielberg. Against this background, the Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra emphasizes the importance of these projects for the development of the European transport network, especially with regard to the support of the "solidarity corridors" between the EU and Ukraine. These initiatives illustrate how indispensable a modern and well -developed transport infrastructure is for economic development and climate goals.

The renovation of the Lueg Bridge is therefore not only a local project, but also part of a larger network of efforts to improve the traffic infrastructure in Europe.