Austria’s first PPP motorway in operation – CHSH advised operating company Bonaventura

The construction of Austria’s first PPP (“Public Private Partnership”) motorway is now complete. CHSH Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati advised Bonaventura Straßenerhaltungs-GmbH during the “PPP Project Ostregion”.

CHSH PPP TeamThe construction of Austria’s first PPP (“Public Private Partnership”) motorway is now complete. CHSH Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati advised Bonaventura Straßenerhaltungs-GmbH during the “PPP Project Ostregion”.

In only 37 months, an important Central European transport route – and Austria’s first privately-financed motorway – has emerged from what was Central Europe’s largest construction site: the “PPP Project Ostregion”. The entire 51km stretch of motorway, comprising the S1 Ost, S1 West, S2 and A5 from Eibesbrunn to Schrick, was opened to traffic on 1 February 2010.

Innovative Motorway Management

Until 2039, the stretch of motorway in the Weinviertel region of Lower Austria will be operated and maintained by Bonaventura Straßenerhaltungs-GmbH; a company operated by a consortium made up of Hochtief PPP Solutions, Alpine Bau and the French Egis.

CHSH’s Infrastructure/PPP team advised Bonaventura during the implementation of what can be considered a new solution for motorway management in Austria. Walter Pühringer, Managing Director of Bonaventura Straßenerhaltungs-GmbH, said: “Thanks to CHSH’s legal expertise, all of the necessary arrangements were made very quickly indeed and the operation was able to start on schedule.”

CHSH’s Infrastructure/PPP and Employment Law expertise

Not only did the Infrastructure/PPP specialists at CHSH see to the legal arrangements and preparations regarding Bonaventura’s operation of the motorway, CHSH Employment Law specialist Walter Pöschl also provided Bonaventura with legal support during the complex project. Georg Konrad, partner and head of the team at CHSH, said: “Implementing such an innovative infrastructure solution with a total contract value of EUR 933 million requires ongoing coordination at all levels and demands dedication and commitment from all parties involved – everything went smoothly with Bonaventura.”