Austria | Area code 43 | Common abbreviation A | Last updated 24-9-2006 |
| Road class | Syntax explanation | Administrative subordination | Sub classes | Zones | System | Remarks |
| European road | E[0-9]<2-3> | Europe | See Europe |
| Motorway (Autobahn) | A[0-9]<1-2> | national | 1-14 | | spider-web/ sequential | Exit numbers: km |
| 21-26 |
| Fast traffic road (Schnellstraße) | S[0-9]<1-2> | national |
| Provincial road with priority (Landesstraße B) | (L)[0-9]<1-3>{[a-c]} | Bundesland | 3[0-9]<2> | | sequential | |
| other with priority | | spider-web |
| Provincial road without priority (Landesstraße L) | (L{H})[0-9]<1-4>{[A-C]} | Bundesland | 1-/2-/3-d |
| 4-d |
General description:
Motorways: The A1-A4 are the main motorways from Vienna (Wien). They evolve around Wien in counterclockwise order. Two more (A5 and A6) are planned. (Numbers should have been the other way round to continue the spider-web.) |
| A1 | Westautobahn Wien-Salzburg-Germany (München) |
| A2 | Südautobahn Wien-Graz-Italy (Udine) |
| A3 | Südostautobahn from A2 to Hungary (Sopron) | Section between S31 and border planned |
| A4 | Ostautobahn Wien-Hungary (Budapest) |
| A5 | Nordautobahn Wien (S1) - Czech Republic (Brno) | Planned |
| A6 | From A4 to Slovakia (Bratislava) | Planned |
| A7-A14 are in the west (numbers increase further away from Vienna). The A15 is planned but will probably not be built soon. A21, A22 and A23 are near Vienna and the A25 is a link between the A1 and the A8. The A26 is a planned western bypass of Linz. |
| There are some single carriageway sections on motorways: a 24 km stretch of the A2 and some tunnels on other motorways. |
| All motorways except the A3 also have an E number at least on some section. |
| S roads are mostly short dual carriageways with motorway characteristics.
For not yet completed sections of an Sx, a federal road is designated as L(300+x), together these form one route. For example, there are several sections of S16 linked by the L316. |
L:
The former B roads (see also History below) have a nation-wide numbering system. There used to be
a distinction between priority roads and others, the former are represented by white numbers on blue squares, while the latter were black on yellow disks. There is no correspondence between class and number of digits.
Numbers L1-10 are main roads from Vienna, evolving in clockwise order. Only L1, L3, L7, L8 and L10 begin in Vienna.
The L2 begins north of Hollabrunn and the L3 runs from Engelhartstetten (L49) via Vienna to Linz but was changed to the S5 (formerly B304) between Stockerau and Krems.
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| L roads without priority almost never appear on signs and are used for administration only.
The only known signposted numbers are: 2003 and 2067 in Niederösterreich and 118 and 124 in Styria (Steiermark). |
| Road signs: |
| Road type | Background | Text | Road numbers (not related to road type) |
| Class | Shape | Background | Text |
| Motorways and motorway-like roads | Blue | White | A/S | Rectangle | Blue | White |
| Other roads | White | Black | L with priority | Rectangle | Blue | White |
| Local destinations | Green | White | L without priority | See picture below | White | Black |
| Obsolete: | B without priority | Circle | Yellow | Black |
| The sign below shows two L numbers east of Vienna (Wien). They usually do not appear on signs but may become more frequent due to the downgrading of Federal roads (see below). |
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History:
Motorways: The first motorways were built by the Germans in 1941.
The A3 used to be planned from Vienna to the Hungarian border. Because it would have been parallel and quite close to the A2, it was decided instead to let it branch off the A2 south of Wiener Neudorf.
Federal roads:
During World War II, German Reichsstraßen numbers were extended throughout Austria.
Later a new numbering system was introduced.
The B1 used to go from Wien to Bregenz, via the German B21. The western part was later changed to B312 (became B179 in 1999), B171, B197 and B190. Many other numbers have also been changed. Recently many roads without priority (in particular all in the Bundesland Oberösterreich) have been upgraded to roads with priority. There are no 1-d numbers without priority left.
This fragment of a 1952 Michelin map still shows some German numbers in the east: 31, 304, 331, 336, 337 and 340.
Further west, new Austrian numbers appear (e.g. 1, 169 and 172).
In 1999, some numbers were changed, especially in the 300 series:
|
| Old number | Section | New number | Remarks |
| B2 | Schöngrabern - Kleinhaugsdorf - Border CZ (38) | B303 |
| B3 | Stockerau - Krems | B304 |
| B16 | Wulkaprodersdorf - Klingenbach - Border H (8) | B308 |
| B50 | Wolfsthal - Kittsee | B50a |
| B50 | Border SK (D61) - Kittsee - Gattendorf | B307 |
| B83 | Scheifling - Klagenfurt (A2) | B317 |
| B96 | Judenburg - Scheifling | B317 |
| B115 | Enns - Steyr | B309 |
| B125 | Unterweitersdorf (A7) - Freistadt - Wullowitz - Border CZ (3) | B310 |
| B146 | Radstadt - Liezen | B320 | Continues to A9 and A10 |
| B208 | Leobendorf: B6 - A22 | B305 |
| B303 | Schöngrabern - Horn - Neunagelberg - Border CZ (24) | B2 |
| B312 | Wörgl - Sankt Johann - Unken - Border D (B21) | B178 | Entire route |
| B314 | Nassereith - Reutte - Vils - Border D (A7) | B179 |
| B315 | Zams - Nauders - Border I (SS40) | B180 |
| On 1 April 2002 all Federal highways (Bundesstraßen) became Provincial highways (Landesstraßen). In general numbers will not be changed, for example
the B1 will simply become L1 (note that the letter does not appear on signs anyway).
The sign which formerly indicated B roads is now defined as an L road with priority, and the old sign for B roads without priority is obsolete.
Since most B roads were given priority in the 1990's, only a small number of signs need to be changed.
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Sources and links: various maps and atlases, personal experience
Official sites:
- Ministry of Science and Transport
- ÖSAG
- Route lists for all national roads (Austrian Parliament, Bundesstraßengesetz)
- Downgrading of Bundesstraßen to Landesstraßen
Other links:
- Motorways around Sattledt
- Verkehrs-Notizen Also contains information on other countries
- A5 Nordautobahn
- S18 Bodenseeschnellstrasse
- Lobauautobahn
Other pages within this site:
- Road sign colours
- Europe
- Germany
Pictures:
- Road pictures Austria
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