Austria builds 5.6 million euro wildlife bridge over A8

Construction of a 5.6 million euro wildlife bridge over the Innkreis Autobahn A8 at Aistersheim is progressing, ORF reports. The bridge is intended to allow wildlife to cross the motorway safely.

Construction has been underway for months, with 84 heavy prefabricated beams being installed. The work requires repeated overnight motorway closures. Asfinag project manager Martin Schnellmann said the carriageway towards Suben is due to be completed this week, followed next week by the carriageway towards Wels and Voralpenkreuz.

The bridge contains 6,000 cubic metres of concrete and 760 tonnes of steel. Work began in March and is scheduled to finish in November, although planting will take longer. The bridge is one of 60 green bridges in Asfinag’s Austrian network.

According to Schnellmann, the bridges are required to reconnect wildlife habitats that are normally divided by motorways. Several years of planning went into the Aistersheim project, including finding suitable locations and reaching agreements with neighbouring residents.

After construction, cameras will monitor how wildlife uses the bridge and whether improvements are needed. Planting is scheduled to take place in spring.