Vienna’s Neubaugasse meeting area brings a new route for 13A – urban development

The redesign of Wiener Neubaugasse in a meeting area is almost complete. The furniture and some of the plants are still missing. The groundwork was completed on Thursday with a large crowd of politicians. This means that the last shared bus line 13A will be able to run continuously in both directions through Neubaugasse from Monday.

The reform cost eleven million euros. The 7th district shopping street was paved with light granite at the same level over a length of 800 meters. The subsoil is now open and can absorb rainwater. Additionally, the wellness character of the shopping mile must be raised by various measures. The entire section has a maximum speed of 20 km / h. Biking in both directions is now possible, there are no longer conventional parking spaces or sidewalks.

Note that a median lane was applied to the ground, which could possibly prevent people from walking in the middle of the street. District President Markus Reiter (Greens) told the APA that the mark was only a temporary measure and would be removed soon.

At the official laying of the cornerstone, attended by Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) and his deputy Birgit Hebein (Greens), it was also clear that there was still work to be done in the coming weeks. The planting of a total of 29 new trees is pending, which due to the weather cannot be planted until October. The trellis for the climbing plants in the shade, the wheel supports, two water fountains and a row of fog trails or the seats provided are still missing.

“It was important to us that the bus was able to operate again from the beginning of school,” said Markus Reiter (Greens) of the APA. The 13A had been split since mid-January due to work. With the disruption of the construction site due to the crown lock, the pressure of time increased. However, as of Monday, one of the busiest lines in Vienna will be able to operate continuously again, but with a new route.

Because the redesign will make it possible for the bus to travel in both directions in Neubaugasse in the future. To this end, three new double-sided stalls were built on Mariahilfer Strasse, the Theater der Jugend and Burggasse. Compared to the previous route 13A, passengers traveling in the direction of Alsergrund now avoid the long detour via Windmühlgasse and Mariahilfer Strasse, among others.

Ludwig and the Councilor for Public Transport Ulli Sima (SPÖ) recalled the “tough game” of planning today. Because for a long time there was great resistance from the district and the merchants to the desire of Wiener Linien to send the bus in both directions through Neubaugasse. The mayor was pleased that after many talks it was possible to satisfy everyone involved. “Everyone benefits,” Hebein added.

The president of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, Walter Ruck, admitted that “everyone had learned a lot” from the dispute over traffic calming on Mariahilfer Strasse; the House offered massive resistance at the time. Such projects would strengthen fixed retail. Kurt Wilhelm, president of the union in the new building, also said that people prefer to shop on well-designed streets.

As a surprise guest, not announced in advance, Vice Chancellor and Green Party Leader Werner Kogler appeared at the opening ceremony. He is pleased that so much progress has been made in Vienna, especially in the last decade, and that the city has claimed first place in various international rankings. “That can’t be a coincidence,” Kogler said a few weeks before the Vienna elections on October 11, noting that the Greens have been part of the city council coalition for ten years.

However, overall, the Neubaugasse redesign is not yet complete. That section from Burggasse to Josefstadt to Lerchenfelder Straße is still missing. Reiter announced today that the deployment will take place there next summer. Planning is currently ongoing and will be completed by the end of the year. In the missing section, it should be even greener than in the section now finished, the district chief promised.