by Florian König, maut1.de - 10 April 2024
The current renovation of 5 tunnels will continue until 2025 and the construction of a new 600 metre-long bridge will cause traffic jams and obstructions on one of the most important traffic routes in Austria until 2027.
Tauern motorway A10 in Austria
Alongside the Inntal motorway (A12), the Brenner motorway (A13) and the Pyhrn motorway (A9), the A10 Tauern motorway is one of the most important north-south links through the Austrian Alps. It is part of the European route 55 (E55), which runs from Sweden via Denmark to Germany and via the Czech Republic and Austria to Italy and ends in Greece.
The A10 Tauern motorway runs from the Salzburg motorway junction on the West motorway (A 1) over the Tauern mountains to the Villach motorway junction with the South motorway (A 2), where it joins the Karawanken motorway (A 11). There are 14 tunnels over a total distance of just over 183 kilometres.
In the area of the Katschberg and Tauern tunnels, the A10 Tauern motorway is a special toll route, for the use of which travellers must pay additional tolls for the passage in addition to the necessary vignette for Austria.
Tunnel renovation and closures until June 2025
The A10 Tauern motorway is one of the busiest travel routes between Italy and Germany, including traffic jams, especially during peak travel times in summer. On a 14-kilometre section between Golling and Werfen, five tunnels that were built in the 1970s are currently being renovated at the same time. Delays and traffic jams can therefore occur in the area of the construction sites and on the surrounding roads, even away from the busy weekends.
Tauern motorway: Only one lane in the tunnel
The five ageing tunnel tubes will be closed alternately in each direction for the necessary refurbishment. Traffic will then only be routed through one free tube in one lane with two-way traffic. Due to the expected delays and traffic jams, travellers should allow around 30 minutes extra for each route.
Affected tunnels on the A10 Tauern motorway
The renovation work, which has been ongoing since September 2023, will continue in these five tunnels until June 2025:
- Ofenauer Tunnel (approx. 1.4 km)
- Hiefler Tunnel (approx. 2 km)
- Brentenberg tunnel (approx. 600 m)
- Zetzenberg (approx. 550 m)
- Helbersberg (approx. 800 m)
The construction work will only be suspended for the peak travel period from July to August 2024, so that both tunnel tubes can then be used again for the expected heavy holiday traffic.
Note: the toll sections of the Tauern and Katschberg tunnels are not affected by the renovation work on the A10 Tauern motorway.
Depending on where you are travelling to or your planned destination, it may also be worth taking a large-scale diversions around the construction site area, e.g. via the Felbertauern federal road, the Pyhrn motorway (A9) or the Brenner motorway (A13). However, traffic obstructions and traffic jams can also be expected on these routes at peak travelling times.
Tunnel renovation for greater safety
Austria's structurally oldest motorway tunnels are to be brought up to the state of the art with the ongoing renovation measures, including modernising the safety technology, widening the connecting routes between the tunnel tubes and renovating the tunnel surfaces, bridges and rockfall protection. The entire tunnel refurbishment project is expected to cost around 270 million euros.
Premiere for new bridge construction on the A10 Tauern motorway
600 metre long bridge is lifted six metres into the air for renovation
The construction of a new motorway bridge on the A10 Tauern motorway is also an absolute first in Carinthia: the supporting structure of the 600-metre-long Steinbrückenbach valley crossing, just under two kilometres north of Spittal an der Drau, is being lifted around six metres into the air. In this way, the "old" bridge serves as a mould for the "new" bridge for the construction of the new bridge structure.
Preparations for this are already underway in March 2023 with the diversion of traffic in the direction of Salzburg to the other half of the bridge and the reinforcement of the supporting structure to increase the permissible load-bearing weight for the future increase in traffic volume. The devices required for the lifting process, which are up to 18 metres high, are currently being installed on specially attached structures for the upcoming lifting of the bridge section.
New construction method to save time and materials
The new construction method is innovative and sustainable from an environmental point of view: not only can the production and transport of a specially manufactured scaffolding girder be saved, but several hundred tonnes of steel, including the corresponding material transports, can also be saved at the same time.
The entire supporting structure will be lifted by a total of six metres using hydraulic jacks and specially secured. This spectacular achievement compared to conventional construction methods will be carried out by an Austrian-Italian consortium consisting of the companies ICM Construction, F-PILE and ICM SpA.
Planned completion by 2027
The first bridge section in the direction of Villach should be completed and open to traffic by mid-2025, followed by the construction of the second bridge section in the direction of Salzburg, which should be completed by 2027.
A video from ASFiNAG illustrates the new bridge construction method.
Conclusion
We recommend that you enquire about daily restrictions due to roadworks and traffic congestion before travelling and also take a closer look at possible alternative routes.
Large motorhomes and vehicles over 3 metres in height and over 3.5 tonnes in weight can also pay tolls in Austria with our toll box. Simply mount it in the centre of the lower third of the windscreen approx. 15 cm above the dashboard and drive off.
We at maut1.de wish you a safe and accident-free journey at all times!
