The challenge. Protect sensitive habitats and deliver measurable environmental and social value
Operating and maintaining motorway infrastructure presents a significant environmental challenge. Along the A5 ‘Bonaventura’ motorway and its access roads, Egis is responsible for managing more than 400 hectares of green space, including large ecological compensation areas, wildlife crossings and roadside verges. Conventional maintenance practices rely heavily on chemical inputs and intensive mowing, which can negatively affect biodiversity, water resources and soil quality. How could this be done differently and with a greater ecological focus?
Imagine. Green spaces as active ecological assets
The team in Austria, concessionaire and operator, set about finding ways to operate and maintain this motorway network without chemical herbicides, to protect sensitive habitats, and deliver measurable environmental and social value. All, without compromising safety, performance or cost control on a busy corridor used by more than 33,000 vehicles daily. This meant rethinking conventional maintenance practices and adopting a zero-chemical approach, tailored to local ecosystems.
At the same time, the project sought to demonstrate that public–private partnership (PPP) motorway operations can deliver measurable environmental and social value alongside technical performance. Social responsibility was therefore part of the vision: creating local employment opportunities and strengthening connections with regional stakeholders and agricultural traditions.
Create. Zero chemical strategies
Since taking over operations in 2009, the team has progressively implemented a differentiated green space management approach across the entire motorway network. All herbicides have been eliminated from managed areas. Vegetation is maintained exclusively through mechanical and natural methods, with maintenance regimes adapted to habitat type, vegetation cycles and biodiversity objectives. A landscape architect is integrated into the operational team to ensure ecological coherence and regulatory compliance.
Eco-grazing with local partners
In 2022, Egis launched an eco-grazing programme in partnership with a Pastoral Cultural Association, called Hirtenkultur. Extensive grazing was introduced on ten compensatory sites using Bovec sheep, later complemented by donkeys. Grazing helps control vegetation growth and invasive species while preserving the region’s characteristic dry grasslands. The animals also create microhabitats that benefit insects, birds and amphibians, and support ecological connectivity by dispersing seeds and microfauna.
The partnership has added a strong social dimension, as grazing activities provide jobs and training for people facing barriers to employment.
Native planting and wildflower meadows
Several visible areas along the southern section of the A5 have been converted into wildflower meadows using native seed mixes adapted to dry soils. These areas are typically cut only once a year, after flowering, with targeted additional mowing around orchards or hedgerows where biodiversity, safety and appearance require it. Traditional local fruit trees, such as apple, plum and cherry, have also been planted to reinforce links with the surrounding agricultural landscape. All planting schemes prioritise resilient native species to support wildlife and limit the spread of invasive plants.
These practices help extend flowering periods, reduce the volume of green waste, limit fuel consumption from mowing machinery and improve the landscape quality perceived by users.
Achieve. A model for green space management
Today, the A5 motorway represents a reference project for sustainable road operation and maintenance in Austria.
- 424 hectares of green space managed without chemical inputs
- 267 hectares dedicated to ecological compensation
- 100% green electricity purchased since 2022
- Enhanced biodiversity, including pollinators, birds and amphibians
- Reduced water use, fuel consumption and green waste
- Positive social impact through local employment and skills development
By combining technical excellence with ecological and social responsibility, Egis Operations Austria demonstrates that motorway infrastructure can actively contribute to biodiversity, resource efficiency and an improved public image of road operations.
This project provides a concrete, scalable model for integrating zero-chemical strategies and ecologically tailored green space management into long-term motorway O&M contracts.
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Egis is responsible for Austria’s first privately financed, designed, built, operated and maintained motorway: the southern section of the A5 Nordautobahn, which opened between 2009 and 2010. Our remit covers every aspect of motorway upkeep — from daily operations, snow clearance and landscape maintenance to traffic monitoring and emergency response — delivered by a team of nearly 50 employees based at the maintenance depot near Eibesbrunn. Holding the concession until 2039, Egis is also strongly committed to sustainability, integrating renewable energy solutions and biodiversity protection across the 600 hectares under its care.