Closed since the flood

St. Pölten calls for faster road renovation

The "Goassteig", the direct link between the St. Pölten districts of Viehofen and Radlberg, has been closed for months.(Bild: Attila Molnar)

Since the devastating flood in September 2024, one part of St. Pölten has only been accessible via a detour that is several kilometers long. The so-called "Goassteig" between Viehofen and Radlberg will be closed until the end of the year. Too long, says the local council - and wants to put pressure on the state with a resolution.

It is only around 600 meters, but it means the world to commuters from the industrial area in the north of the state capital and the residents of Radlberg. The section of the L113, better known in St. Pölten as the "Goassteig", has been closed since September 2024. Back then, the devastating flood caused the subsoil to move and the road embankment to slide. The area is still at risk of falling and is therefore not yet open to traffic.

Ten instead of three kilometers
The consequences are not only felt by those affected in terms of time, but also in their wallets. This is because they lack a direct connection to the city center; the detour that many of them have to take every day is seven kilometers in one direction. "The municipality of Obritzberg has also approached us in the meantime because it has significantly more traffic than usual due to the bypass," explains Deputy Mayor Harald Ludwig (SPÖ).

But the renovation will take time. According to the current plan of the Lower Austrian road construction department, the road will not be opened to traffic until the end of the year and the work will be carried out in several stages.

"We have to join forces"
However, this is not going fast enough for the city. They want to speed things up with a resolution. "We have to join forces and use all our resources to ensure that it doesn't take twelve months, but can be completed sooner. The project must be given top priority," says Ludwig. 

The road can only be opened to traffic after extensive refurbishment. A resolution is unnecessary because we know that the state is working at full speed.

FPÖ-Gemeinderat Martin Antauer 

However, even though the resolution was passed unanimously by the municipal council, it was not without criticism. Martin Antauer, a party colleague of FPÖ Transport Minister Udo Landbauer, even described the resolution as "unnecessary". "Because we know that the state is working at full speed. You know that too, because you are in constant communication with the department," he says to his fellow councillors. However, according to Antauer, it is a huge project that takes time.