Bridge in the balance?

Why Wachau innkeepers will soon be left high and dry

The Danube bridge at Mautern is already closed to heavy traffic. It is (still) passable for cyclists.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Attila Molnar)

Construction work on the new Danube crossing near Mautern has actually been underway since last fall. But cranes, excavators and the like have been nowhere to be found - and now the planned replacement bridge is also in limbo. What this means for employees, students and restaurants in the Wachau region.

A bridge connects. In the case of Mautern, it connects the prestigious north bank of the Wachau with the increasingly popular excursion destinations on the right bank of the Danube. And the residential town on the south bank with the cultural, economic and academic center of Krems. Now, however, the bridge in question is getting on in years and - as reported several times - needs to be replaced. Because the old bridge is old and therefore a listed building, it cannot simply be demolished. It has to be dismantled and, after the bridgeheads and uprights have been replaced, at least partially rebuilt.