02. Clear nautical bottlenecks in an environmentally friendly way

Basis for the strenghtening of Danube navigation is a reliable waterway. The clearance of nautical bottlenecks whilst improving the ecological status in the free flowing sections is of high priority. The integrative planning of initiatives allows for environment and navigation to profit simultaneously. Based on the knowledge gained in the course of the pilot projects Witzelsdorf, Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, etc. further measures will be implemented in the free flowing sections of the Austrian Danube. This also contributes to the compliance with national and international guidelines (AGN, targets for the Trans-European transport network, EU Water Framework Directive, etc.).

In addition to integratively planned hydraulic engineering measures, all possibilities are being exploited to adapt the designated fairway course to the river bed in order to make optimal use of existing fairway depths. However, the possibilities for shifting the fairway are limited due to the small cross-section of the Danube in Austria. Such an approach in waterway management has greater relevance on the middle and especially the lower Danube.