15 years after the opening of the 16 kilometres long section of the S1 between Vösendorf and Schwechat, this section will be upgraded with the latest technical features for road safety. This includes equipping the two longest tunnels, Vösendorf (822 metres) and Rannersdorf (approx.. two kilometres), with the innovative AKUT system from JOANNEUM RESEARCH.

AKUT® - Acoustic Tunnel Monitoring

The rapid detection of critical events in tunnels is essential for the initiation of immediate measures by the operators in the traffic management centre. In addition to the safety of people, an immediate reaction is also necessary for the protection of the infrastructure.

To enable rapid detection of events, JOANNEUM RESEARCH has developed an acoustic tunnel monitoring system - AKUT - together with ASFINAG.

In this system, the sounds in the tunnel are continuously analysed using microphones.

The operating noise inside a tunnel is characterized by a specific mix of engine, rolling and airflow noise produced by vehicles passing through.  Specially trained AI-based acoustic detectorsrecognise anomalies in the noise, such as those caused by accidents, tyre squealing or people shouting, in real time and alert the operators one second after the event at the latest.