!!!Autobahnen

Autobahnen (motorways): federal roads without level crossings with 
other roads; suitable for high-speed traffic as defined in the traffic 
regulations and constructed with special entry and exit ramps 
(Bundesstrassengesetz/Law on Federal Roads, 1971).

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As of 1999, there were 1,613 km of Autobahnen in use in Austria, 
32 km under construction and 21 km in the planning stage, 
which means that the motorway network is almost 97 % complete. 
The A 1 or "West-Autobahn" (Vienna- Linz- Salzburg), already planned 
and partly built in the Salzburg area in 1938-1940, was extended from 
1954 and completed in 1968. The A 2 or "Sued-Autobahn" (South 
Motorway, Vienna- Graz- Klagenfurt- Thoerl/Maglern- Italy) was begun 
in 1959 and was completed in 1999; other motorways of the Austrian 
autobahn network are the A 4 or "Ost-Autobahn" (East Motorway, 
Vienna- Nickelsdorf), the A 21 or Wiener Aussenring-Autobahn 
(Outer Ring Motorway of Vienna), the A 23 Suedost-Tangente ("Southeast 
Tangent" Motorway) through Vienna, the motorways 
Guntramsdorf-Eisenstadt (A 3) and Vienna- Stockerau (A 22), 
the Inntal-Autobahn (Inntal Valley, A 12), the Brenner-Autobahn 
(A 13, through Brenner Pass), the Rheintal-Autobahn (Rheintal 
Valley, A 14), the Innkreis-Autobahn (Inn Region, A 8), the 
Muehlkreis -Autobahn (A°7), the Tauern-Autobahn (in the Tauern 
mountains, A 10) (summit section 1974) and the 
Karawanken-Autobahn (A°11). Construction of the Pyhrn-Autobahn 
(A 9) has already been approved.

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The network of motorways in Austria is the most important carrier of 
domestic transport. Some motorways are also important transport axes 
to and between the economic areas of neighbouring countries. Due to 
its central inland location, Austria is thus an important hub in 
European transport and has (after Luxembourg) the second most dense 
motorway network of all EU countries (200 km per million 
inhabitants).

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The traffic volume on Austria's motorways averaged approximately 
37,000 vehicles per day in 1999 (calculated over a one-year period), 
of which approximately 20% could be attributed to freight transport.

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The planning, construction, maintenance and operation of Austria's 
motorways is financed by  ASFINAG. While most funds went into the 
construction of new motorways during the period of intensive motorway 
expansion from the mid-1970s to the 1980s, more funds are now used for 
the maintenance and renewal of motorways. In addition, a considerable 
portion of the budget is spent on loan repayments. Loans were needed 
to finance motorway construction because the motorways crossing the 
Alps originally could not be financed from the Federal budget.

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As of January 1, 1997, a mandatory  toll sticker was introduced for 
traffic on motorways and other high-level roadways. In addition, tolls 
are levied for around 140 km of the motorway network (large 
transalpine crossings). These  toll roads are operated by  Alpen 
Strassen AG (ASG) and  OeSAG on behalf of ASFINAG.


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[Back to the Austrian Version|AEIOU/Autobahnen|class='wikipage austrian']
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