End of the construction work

Zirler Berg: single lane will soon be history!

After the slope was stabilized, the road was secured with reinforced concrete edge beams.

(Bild: Land Tirol)

Good news for all motorists - especially those from the Seefeld plateau: after six weeks of safety and renovation work, the Seefeld road (B177) on the Zirler Berg will be reopened to all traffic in two lanes from Wednesday, 5 pm. 

Despite "unforeseen additional work", for example due to deep cavities, the work could be completed within the planned time frame, the state reported on Tuesday afternoon.

After slope movements were registered along the road at the end of June, safety and remediation work had to be tackled immediately, according to those responsible. 

As part of the safety and remediation work, the slope on the valley side had to be removed down to the load-bearing subsoil.

(Bild: Land Tirol)

Cracks and subsidence detected
During geological investigations, the first cracks and subsidence were discovered on the valley side of the road. It also turned out that the embankment on the valley side had subsided and cavities had formed underneath the concreted edge beam.

During the work, we discovered that the cavities, which were probably caused by mountain water, were much deeper than originally assumed.

Markus Leuthold vom Baubezirksamt Innsbruck

"In order to make the road safe for traffic, we had to stabilize the embankment below the road and the subsoil of the road body. During the work, we discovered that the cavities, which were probably caused by the inflow of mountain water, were much deeper than previously assumed," says Markus Leuthold from the Innsbruck construction district office. 

In order to prevent further ground movements in the subsoil, the clay layers under the road had to be removed over a large area until the load-bearing rock subsoil was reached and shotcrete protection had to be installed.

Frequent tailbacks and obstructions
During the work, only one lane of the B177 could be used in this area. Traffic was controlled by traffic posts or, at night, by traffic lights. There were often long tailbacks and obstructions. Trucks over 7.5 tons were prohibited from driving uphill.