Major projects in the final stages

Construction sites: Where patience is required in Graz this year

Work will continue on Elisabethstraße until November.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Two major construction sites in the Mur metropolis will be completed this year. Until then, however, there are still a few traffic jams to get through. One long-term project is also annoying cyclists and pedestrians. 

The most prominent road construction site in Graz, for the new streetcar route through the city center, is currently on winter break. While everything is largely finished on the eastern side of the Mur, work will soon continue on the other side with the junction of the route with Annenstraße. This will be completely closed in the affected area from the end of May until September, including for streetcars. It will finally be ready at the end of November: After almost three years of construction, the new Bim line will go into operation.

The second major construction site at the "open heart", which is particularly nerve-wracking for motorists, is the renovation and redesign of Elisabethstrasse. The first section should be completed by mid-May. The second, in the direction out of town, will be completed by November. Until then, only one lane in each direction will remain open.

The new construction of the Pongratz-Moore footbridge, which has been closed since July 2023, will not start until the end of 2025 at the earliest.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Long procedures as a test of patience
The closure of the Pongratz-Moore footbridge, which connects the districts of Andritz and Gösting across the Mur, is a persistent annoyance for cyclists and pedestrians. The bridge has been closed since July 2023 due to safety issues and is due to be rebuilt. Many people in Graz are wondering why it is taking so long. "I am aware that the long closure is very challenging for everyone," says Green City Councillor for Transport Judith Schwentner. However, it must also be acknowledged "that we live in a constitutional state and that there are processes and procedures that take time and drag on".

I am aware that the long lockdown is very challenging for everyone, but the complexity of this project unfortunately makes it necessary.

Verkehrsstadträtin Judith Schwentner (Grüne)

Due to the length of the process and the difficult planning in view of the limited space and numerous cables that will be routed over the footbridge, construction will not start until the end of 2025 at the earliest. The new footbridge will then be almost three times as wide as the current one.

Further construction projects (selection)

• Start of construction on Josef-Huber-Gasse underpass (spring 2025)

• Redesign of the road section Münzgrabenstraße - Fröhlichgasse - Sandgasse (May to September 2025)

• Neutorviertel/Kaiserfeldgasse: "Tree rescue project" and final implementation of the pedestrian zone
• Laimburggasse, Leechgasse and Schanzelgassecycle lanes
• Footpaths on Messendorfer Straße and Andritzer Reichsstraße

Patience is also required in Peter-Tunner-Gasse, where ÖBB is renewing the railroad underpass and the city is building new cycle paths and footpaths as part of the project. The project is on schedule and traffic should be flowing again from June 2026.