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STRABAG: Official contract start of A49 PPP motorway project in Hesse

  • Design-build-finance-operate-maintain contract for A49 motorway between Fritzlar and Ohmtal interchange (62 km)
  • Construction of new motorway section by STRABAG Großprojekte GmbH and LEONHARD WEISS GmbH & Co. KG to close the gap between Schwalmstadt and the Ohmtal interchange
  • Planned construction contract value of over € 700 million

Vienna, 1 September 2020---European-based construction technology group STRABAG SE, through its subsidiary STRABAG Infrastrukturprojekt GmbH, has been awarded the contract for a large motorway project in Germany under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Besides the construction of a 31 km long section of the A49 motorway between Schwalmstadt and the Ohmtal interchange in northern and central Hesse, the PPP project also includes the design and proportionate financing as well as the maintenance and operation of the motorway over a distance of nearly 62 km between the Fritzlar junction and the Ohmtal A5/A49 interchange. The client is the Federal Republic of Germany, represented by the State of Hesse, represented by DEGES (Deutsche Einheit Fernstraßenplanungs- und -bau GmbH). The project company A 49 Autobahngesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, specifically established for this purpose, is held equally (50:50) between STRABAG Infrastrukturprojekt GmbH and Meridiam Investments SAS. The PPP contract has a term of 30 years starting from 1 September 2020.

KfW IPEX-Bank (Germany), the European Investment Bank (EIB), MEAG (Germany), KBC Bank NV, Niederlassung Deutschland, and ČSOB (Czech Republic) were brought on board to provide debt financing for the total investment sum of around € 1.3 billion.

STRABAG Großprojekte GmbH, working in a joint venture with LEONHARD WEISS GmbH & Co. KG, is handling the construction of the approx. 31 km section of the A49 starting at Schwalmstadt, which will also close the gap with the A5.

“We are pleased about the renewed trust in our ability to successfully realise large infrastructure projects in public-private partnerships, something we are already demonstrating in Germany with the A8 and A5 motorways,” says Thomas Birtel, CEO of STRABAG SE.

The A49 between Fritzlar and the Ohmtal interchange is divided into four sections. The first section to the Neuental junction is already open to traffic. The second section to the Schwalmstadt junction is currently under construction by HessenMobil. Realisation of the new sections three and four, from Schwalmstadt over the Stadtallendorf-Nord junction to the Ohmtal interchange, should begin in September 2020. The contract for joint venture partners STRABAG and LEONHARD WEISS includes the four-lane gap closure in concrete and the adaptation of the A5 along an approx. 1.5 km section at the Ohmtal intersection including the entire infrastructure in the area. The main construction works are scheduled for completion in autumn 2024.

Photo of a highway bridge DEGES/Schüßler-Plan
Photo of a highway bridge DEGES/Schüßler-Plan

STRABAG: Official contract start of A49 PPP motorway project in Hesse

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STRABAG SE is a European-based technology group for construction services, a leader in innovation and financial strength. Our activities span all areas of the construction industry and cover the entire construction value chain. We create added value for our clients by taking an end-to-end view of construction over the entire life cycle – from planning and design to construction, operation and facility management to redevelopment or demolition. In all of our work, we accept responsibility for people and the environment: We are shaping the future of construction and are making significant investments in our portfolio of more than 250 innovation and 400 sustainability projects. Through the hard work and dedication of our approximately 86,000 employees, we generate an annual output volume of around € 19 billion.
Our dense network of subsidiaries in various European countries and on other continents extends our area of operation far beyond the borders of Austria and Germany. Working together with strong partners, we are pursuing a clear goal: to design, build and operate construction projects in a way that protects the climate and conserves resources. More information is available at www.strabag.com.

STRABAG Infrastrukturprojekt GmbH of Bad Hersfeld, a member of STRABAG SE, is the construction technology group’s competence centre for the development and implementation of public-private partnerships (PPP) in transportation infrastructure and building construction in Germany. The company’s services range from project selection, planning and development to financial structuring to construction, operation and maintenance. In the field of PPP infrastructure, this includes all current contract models at the federal, state and municipal level.