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

  • ITF helping to plot the future of urban transport mobility
    December 2, 2013
    The 8th APEC Transport Ministers’ Meeting in Tokyo on 4-6 Septembersaw high-level discussions on how to enhance connectivity in the Asia-Pacific region through high-quality transport. As a guest, the International Transport Forum (ITF) was also heavily involved in the event, as Guy Woodford reports A transport Connectivity Map visualising Asia-Pacific’s ideal transport network in 2020, and a Quality Transport vision for the region encompassing convenience, safety, security, and sustainability, will b
  • US$2.3 billion for Ecuador infrastructure projects
    May 6, 2024
    A US$2.3 billion programme of Ecuador infrastructure projects is planned.
  • Delays blight Brazil’s highway programme
    August 4, 2016
    Around 130 road projects are facing delays in Brazil, according to a data from Brazil's national land transport association ANTT. A report in the newspaper O Estado de Paulo noted that many delays are caused by problems with environmental licences and expropriations, as well as a decrease in road traffic due to the economic crisis. Among projects that were meant to have been completed are those by concession holders Rota do Oeste for the Via 040, Concebra for the Eco 101 and MSVia and Galvão for BR-15
  • Montenegro on the ropes over China deal
    April 13, 2021
    The first 41km of highway cost €20 million per kilometre - one of the most expensive highways in the world.