Aqua Burgenland Sopron drinking water pipeline, Neudörfl to Rohrbach section

The cross-border region between Vienna, Eisenstadt, Sopron, Györ and Bratislava is home to rapid and dynamic developments in society, economy and tourism. The EU project “Aqua Burgenland Sopron” was launched to ensure that this area’s drinking water needs will also continue to be met in future. The first stage of the project runs from Neudörfl to Rohrbach bei Mattersburg.

Archaeological finds and explosive ordinance search.

The construction area was a potential archaeological site, which meant that archaeological approval was required before construction work could begin. The first step of the investigation involved cautiously removing the topsoil, which, as expected, uncovered archaeological finds in some areas. Meanwhile, archaeologists searched the ground for war relics. These planned preliminary investigations were essential prerequisites for the subsequent smooth construction progress.

Challenging pipeline construction.

The drinking water pipe was built using an open-cut method. A need for marked high and low points meant that the specified longitudinal section had to be very closely followed: The pipe was laid at depths varying between 2.2m and 6m.

The pipeline route switched between surfaced, high-quality street areas, municipal routes, private tracks and gravel roads, and agricultural areas. Difficulties included maintaining traffic circulation, constricted construction areas, and challenging ground and groundwater situations. As part of the work, the pipeline had to cross two ÖBB railway routes, two motorways and three main roads – without trenching: In the Neudörfl area, for example, a microtunnelling procedure was used. The contract also included all drainage shafts, ventilation shafts and valve chambers along the route.