Skip to main content

A6 project between Weinsberg and Wiesloch/Rauenberg set to start

Work will soon start on the €1.3 billion project to widen a stretch of the A6 motorway, one of Germany’s most congested highways. Both sides of the motorway between the Weinsberg and Wiesloch/Rauenberg junctions will be expanded. On 25 km of the section being expanded under the project – altogether 47.1 km – the number of lanes will be increased from four to six. The project also encompasses the construction of the 1.3km-long Neckartal Bridge. Preparatory work for the public-private partnership has
January 26, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Work will soon start on the €1.3 billion project to widen a stretch of the A6 motorway, one of Germany’s most congested highways.

Both sides of the motorway between the Weinsberg and Wiesloch/Rauenberg junctions will be expanded.

On 25 km of the section being expanded under the project – altogether 47.1 km – the number of lanes will be increased from four to six. The project also encompasses the construction of the 1.3km-long Neckartal Bridge.

Preparatory work for the public-private partnership has already begun with project completion in about five and half years, in July 2022. Clients for the project are the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, the state of Baden-Württemberg and Stuttgart Regional Board.

The Federal Government, represented by the regional administrative council (Regierungspräsidium) of Stuttgart, had initially put the roadworks to public tender. This PPP project is designed as a business model type 'A' - or availability model – where the Federal Government makes payment to the private contractor based on the passability of the lanes.

Apart from construction work, the project involves operation and maintenance for the entire 47.1km section over 30 years. The bidding consortium ViA6West made up of the construction firms 981 Hochtief and 1249 Johann Bunte Bauunternehmung together with the financial investor 3634 DIF Infrastructure IV was awarded the concession to carry out the PPP project last October. Construction accounts for around €600 million of this total. Hochtief PPP Solutions has a 30% share in ViA6West, DIF has 50% and Johann Bunte holds 20%.

Consulting engineers Schüßler-Plan was leader of an interdisciplinary advisory team consisting of engineers, lawyers, financial service providers and business consultants. The team worked on conceptual design, consulting and management of the complex bidding procedure. Schüßler-Plan itself carried out economic feasibility studies.

Consulting engineers 1419 Arup provided technical due diligence for one of the bidders and the banks.

The project is qualified for the Juncker Plan under which the EIB –European Investment Bank - and the European Commission provide funds for infrastructure projects in order to overcome the current investment shortfall in Europe. KfW IPEX-Bank is offering a tranche as a project bond, which involves the project company placing the bond on the capital market.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Houston, Texas is seeing fast expansion of population, with in vast increases in traffic
    October 9, 2018
    The US city of Houston is expanding fast and its transport system is having to be developed to cope
  • Construction machine sale source online
    February 7, 2018
    A new private network platform has been developed that I designed to make it easier to sell construction equipment worldwide. Called Krank, this online company-to-company network is designed for trading large items of capital equipment, both regionally and internationally. This trading system allows companies to create private networks between each other and trade large items such as cranes, wheeled loaders, trucks or excavators. The site acts as a private sale room with users able to customise their
  • RINA Consulting starts to lower Morandi Bridge sections
    February 14, 2019
    Deconstruction of the collapsed Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy, has begun, according to RINA Consulting. The first bridge deck section was lowered to the ground from a height of 48m, said Roberto Carpaneto, chief executive of RINA which is responsible for design control and construction management of the project. "We are really satisfied with how this delicate operation is being conducted with the whole construction team working as one to guarantee the best result.” RINA Consulting was chosen by the c
  • New Australia road tunnel project planned
    April 12, 2017
    A new road tunnel project is planned for the city of Melbourne in Australia. Construction is set to commence in 2018 and will take until 2022 to complete. The work will be carried out by a joint venture comprising CPB Contractors, the Australian subsidiary of German contractor Hochtief, and engineering firm John Holland. The new West Gate Road Tunnel project will help cut congestion in the city at peak periods. In addition to the tunnel construction the project also includes widening the existing West Gate