Vienna starts asbestos removal on busy Hietzing street

Vienna is preparing to remove asbestos found in the asphalt of Maxingstraße, a busy street in the Hietzing district, ORF reports. Work is due to start on Tuesday, with the road already closed until the end of December for the installation of a district heating pipe.

The asbestos was found in asphalt laid about 25 years ago. Workers will break it into large pieces and add water to prevent fibres from becoming airborne. Fences covered with tarpaulins are also being installed to protect passers-by.

The city tested the removal method with Greenpeace, which had identified several Vienna streets affected by asbestos. Greenpeace representative Stefan Stadler said fibres were found to rise about 60 centimetres and travel no more than two to three metres. The barriers are designed to contain them within that range.

The city chose the more extensive removal process for Maxingstraße because of heavy traffic and major excavation work. It says a thin asphalt covering, used on affected roads elsewhere, would not be suitable there. A similar large-scale removal is due to begin soon on Äußere Mariahilfer Straße.

The city has not said how many locations in Vienna are affected or how much the work will cost. It describes the clean-up as an ongoing process. In Liesing, another district, asbestos-affected road surfaces have been sealed with a thin layer.