On November 24, the country's population will decide whether to expand six highway sections. The costs were determined by the federal government to be 4.9 billion Swiss francs, but Astra, on the other hand, expects significantly higher costs. The financial aspect is a decisive factor in many voting questions. However, caution is needed when the federal government publishes cost estimates. This was recently revealed by the calculation error in the AHV. Many votes have used figures detached from reality to finally decide the issue. The focus of the November referendum is not on finances, although the planned amount of 4.9 billion is not negligible either. The government itself questions whether this is enough for the implementation of the six projects. Astra details the highway expansion plans on its website, stating that their cost amounts to 5.8 billion Swiss francs. This is 900,000 francs more than what the federal government communicated to voters.
According to Astra, five projects are more expensive than the government indicates, reports the "NZZ". So where do the cost figures in the voting materials come from? They are from 2020, when the draft was prepared. Although later updated, higher costs were also prepared, the government finally used the originally published figures in their information. Opponents of the expansion plan heavily criticize the government for handling the data. Selim Egloff, a representative of the VCS and the no-camp, claims that the government embellishes the data. He believes that the actual cost of the projects will be much higher, especially if the work begins around 2030. According to "K-Tipp", which also opposes the plan, the expected costs exceed 7 billion francs.
According to Astra, beyond the planned works in the expansion projects, other necessary works are included. In order not to have too many separate constructions, these will be carried out when significant construction is already underway. Over time, by the time construction could start following the referendum approval, more money would be needed due to inflation alone. Additionally, state infrastructure projects often exceed the initial budget. The "NZZ" points to a study conducted by Astra in 2009, which showed that when constructing tunnels, calculations are typically exceeded by 20 percent. The Riedberg Tunnel is one of the most significant examples. It was started in 2004 and was originally estimated to cost 54 million Swiss francs, but now it is calculated at 220 million. The two 500-meter tunnels are planned to open in 2025 or 2026.
