Klagenfurt celebrates: New railway underpass will be a traffic revolution!

Klagenfurt celebrates: New railway underpass will be a traffic revolution!

An important transport project will soon be completed in Klagenfurt. After 20 months of tinkering with construction on the underpass at the Waidmannsdorfer Straße railway crossing, the opening is scheduled for November 1, 2025. This is not only a reason to be happy for the residents, but also a significant improvement for the traffic situation in the region.

Waidmannsdorfer Straße was one of the busiest railway crossings in Carinthia, with 5,400 vehicles returning every day. The barriers outside the construction site were often closed for up to eight hours a day, driving up waiting times to up to 45 minutes during peak hours. The new underpass is now intended to ensure a smoother traffic flow and greater safety for all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists. A step that was long overdue!

A project with many challenges

Construction work began in February 2024 and was successfully completed despite changing city governments and an initial lack of priority. With a budget of 15 million euros, half of which was borne by the city of Klagenfurt, this project is a visible sign of the investments that also need to be made in Carinthia's infrastructure. And it turns out: If you have a good hand, you can work wonders even with adequate means.

The renovations included not only the underpass itself, but also significant changes to Waidmannsdorfer Straße. In the future, this will pass under the ÖBB railway line. Dietrichstrasse will no longer be connected to Waidmannsdorfer Strasse, and Bahnstrasse will have a new bridge to Humboldstrasse. An information evening in the community center informed citizens in advance about the planned work and its effects, which significantly promoted communication and understanding on the part of residents.

Conclusion and outlook

The opening of the underpass will not only be a relief for road users in Klagenfurt, but could also serve as a model for future improvements in other cities. Against the background of the major investments that will be made in infrastructural security in the next few years - a total of 166 billion euros is planned by 2029, with 107 billion euros expected to flow into rail alone - these local projects are also important. Traffic calming of some kind is a major goal that is being pursued in more and more cities.

In this respect, our location in Klagenfurt enjoys a special privilege, and hopes are high that the newly created underpass will not only alleviate daily traffic jams, but also have a positive impact on people's attitude to life.

For further details about the construction work and the upcoming traffic changes, interested citizens can consult the official websites of the ÖBB and the city of Klagenfurt. The information on this can be found in the article from the Small newspaper as well as the ÖBB to find. In general, attention is also paid to the comprehensive investment plan daily news referred to, which highlights the further development of the transport infrastructure.