All five cantonal initiatives call for various projects in Eastern Switzerland that were included in the 2023 expansion programme rejected in the popular vote of 24 November 2024 to be incorporated into the next expansion programme for the national roads. Specifically, these are the third tube of the Rosenberg Tunnel in St. Gallen (including the access road to the freight station) and the second tube of the Fäsenstaub Tunnel in Schaffhausen. All Eastern Swiss cantons approved these projects in the vote. In addition, according to the initiative of the Canton of Thurgau (25.318), the projects for the Bodensee-Thurtal road (N23) and the N25 St. Gallen–Appenzell corridor are also to be incorporated into the next expansion programme for the national roads.
The committee recognises the importance of the projects for transport policy in the Eastern Swiss cantons. At the same time, it notes that the cantonal initiatives are directly related to the next expansion programme for the national road network, which Parliament will consider in detail next year as part of the Federal Council proposal «Verkehr ’45» (“Mobility 45”). The committee considers it important that the various transport projects be viewed as a whole as part of these deliberations and that the cantons be given balanced consideration when planning investments from the National Roads and Agglomeration Traffic Fund (NAF). Against this background and because of the deadlines (Art. 116 para. 3bis, Art. 109 para. 2 ParlA), the CTT-S unanimously decided to give follow-up to the five cantonal initiatives during the preliminary examination.