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

  • Serbia inks two road deals with China at 16plus1 summit
    April 23, 2019
    Serbia said it signed two road construction agreements with China during the 16plus1 Summit in Dubrovnik, Croatia earlier this month. The two deals are for construction of the Pozega-Boljare and Novi Beograd-Surcin road routes. The Pozega-Boljare project alone is worth €2 billion and will be financed from the existing loan from the Exim Bank, according to media reports. China’s east-west Belt and Road Initiative was the focus of the annual 16plus1 Summit that brought together leaders from Beijing plus
  • Public Private Partnerships for Roads Development
    May 29, 2018
    Key to Bridging the Road Investment Gap. There remains a very large gap between the world’s infrastructure needs to meet population and economic growth, and the public sector’s ability to procure commensurate funding. In the road sector, major consulting house McKinsey estimates investments need to be US$900 billion/year to keep pace with projected growth while current levels of investments fall short of this figure by $180 billion globally. Private finance is increasingly perceived as one of the main lever
  • Lithuania loan; funding found for road reconstruction
    September 29, 2016
    Plans to upgrade the Vilnius to Utena highway in Lithuania will now go ahead following the securing of a loan to help pay for the project. The €40 million loan is being sourced from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The loan will be for a period for 12 years, with guarantees being provided by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI). In all, the work to upgrade the 72.15km A14 route between capital Vilnius and Utena will cost close to €91 million, with the Lithuania Road Administration (LRA) pla
  • VIDEO: Switzerland’s Astra Bridge concept to be tendered
    May 23, 2019
    Switzerland will soon tender for companies to build and supply a mobile system for physically shifting traffic away from road crews – the Astra Bridge concept. The federal highways agency - FEDRO - will be asking general contractors to submit bids starting this summer for the Astra Bridge system, according to the agency. The system, to be used on motorways, includes ramp sections at each end of what amounts to a train of elevated connected road sections. Vehicles run onto the top of the train which is