Reconstruction of the Prater traffic node, Vienna

With a traffic load of about 190,000 vehicles per day, the Prater traffic node is among Austria's major traffic nodes. The centerpiece of this node is the Erdberger Bridge (built in the 1970s) leading over the Danube Canal. This bridge should have reached the end of its lifecycle in 2014; plans called for demolishing it and building a new bridge. The constructional measures include the building of two deconcentration bridges and also the repair/renovation of the existent access ramps. In this context, the Prater traffic node is important not only for automobile traffic; it is also crossed by shipping on the Danube Canal, by the right and left Main Collection Canal, by innumerable structures, by the Erdberg international bus station, and by the U3 subway line. It was imperative that this heavy traffic be maintained during the demolition and reconstruction. This placed high demands on the planning for this project.