Austria's tallest noise barrier

Austria's tallest noise barrier in Wiener Neudorf © MW-Architekturfotografie

Client: ASFINAG

Location: A2 near Wiener Neudorf

Construction phases: five in total, each 65 to 960 m long

Height of the noise barriers: up to 13 m

Diameter of the bored piles: 1,2 m

Completion: Late 2022

The tallest noise barriers in the country are currently being built on the A2 motorway headed south between kilometre 6.845 and kilometre 8.700 near Wiener Neudorf. HABAU Hoch- und Tiefbaugesellschaft m.b.H., a member of the HABAU GROUP, is delivering the project together with their consortium partner Bernegger GmbH and planning and structural engineering specialists Zorn & Nowy – ZT GmbH and Convex ZT GmbH. The geotechnical engineers from GB ZT GmbH are also involved.

Innovative approach

The project comprises a total of five construction phases, each with a length of 65 to 960 metres. The client, ASFINAG, originally invited tenders for a solid steel structure. However, HABAU then won the contract with an alternative offer, which instead used reinforced concrete structures with prefabricated pillars and a slender steel structure on top. “This project once again proves that the HABAU GROUP thinks ‘outside the box’ and focuses on innovative solutions which allows us to exceed our customer’s expectations,” says HABAU GROUP CEO Hubert Wetschnig.

Impressive dimensions

Christian Neumer, Project Manager for HABAU, provides an exciting update on the project: “The noise barriers are not your average barriers. The tallest measures 13 metres and the constructions rest on bored piles with a diameter of 1.2 metres.” On the subject of their considerable size, he adds: “We rely on Building Information Modelling, or BIM for short, for planning and execution. With the help of the 3D models, we give our client, ASFINAG, the greatest possible transparency and can design processes more efficiently.” The challenging foundation work was carried out by ARGE partner Bernegger GmbH.
The project posed unique challenges for the companies executing the construction: In order to impact the flow of traffic on the A2 as little as possible, the project will be implemented quickly and completed by the end of the year. The lack of space combined with the sheer size of the noise barriers also meant detailed construction site logistics were also essential, as the team was only able to use the hard shoulder for their work. Around 5,300 residents then stand to benefit from the construction, whose quality of living and life will increase further upon completion.