West Autobahn

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Motorway A1
West Autobahn A1
Route information
Part of E55 E60
Length	292 km (181 mi)
Major junctions
From	Vienna-Hietzing
To	A 8
Location
Country	Salzburg
Major cities	Vienna, Sankt Pölten, Linz, Salzburg
Highway system
Highways of Austria Autobahns Expressways State Roads
← A 26 → A 2

The West Autobahn (A1) was the first motorway (Autobahn) to be built in Austria, originating from plans drawn up for the so-called Reichsautobahn system. Completed in 1967, today it runs from the outskirts of Vienna via Linz to Salzburg, where it joins the German Bundesautobahn 8 at the Walserberg border crossing.^[1]

The A1 is Austria's main east–west thoroughfare and part of the major European routes E55 and E60.

History

The construction of the first two sections near Salzburg started a few weeks after the Anschluss annexation of Austria in 1938, as the Nazi authorities had long time before setting up plans for an eastern continuation of the Reichsautobahn 26 from Munich to Salzburg (the present-day Bundesautobahn 8) towards Linz and Vienna in what was to become the German Ostmark. However, only two sections around Salzburg with a total length of 12.5 km (7.8 mi) were opened to traffic when works discontinued in 1942 due to World War II.

After the war, the interrupted construction works on the third section to Eugendorf were finished, nevertheless, the further continuation could not be resumed under Allied occupation. Between 1947 and 1965 the completed sections northwest of Salzburg were used as a racing track, known as "Little AVUS", the site of an annual motorcycle race, later called Grand Prix of Austria, with racer Helmut Krackowizer among the first winners.

The construction of the A1 continued upon the signing of the

were never carried out.

Traffic significantly increased after

corporation to three lanes in each direction.

Junctions

This article contains a bulleted list or table of intersections which should be presented in a properly formatted junction table. Please consult this guideline for information on how to create one. Please improve this article if you can. (December 2021)

The motorway links to the following additional motorways and major roads:

	(9) Vienna-Hietzing
E60	(32) Steinhäusl
	(55) Sankt Pölten
E55	(169) Linz
E552	(175) Haid
E56 E57	(196) Voralpenkreuz Sattledt
E52 E55	(298) Salzburg
E52 E60	(301) Walserberg

See also

• Autobahns of Austria

References

External links

• Media related to West Autobahn A1 at Wikimedia Commons