A10 tunnel renovation

The construction site and traffic jams return

Construction work will begin on Tuesday, and from Saturday onwards, two-way traffic will be the order of the day in all tunnels.

(Bild: Gerhard Schiel)

With the start of the final construction phase in the tunnels between Golling and Werfen, the Tauern highway will once again be a bottleneck for months. The builder and highway company Asfinag is expecting traffic jams almost immediately.

Here we go again! With the start of the tunnel renovation work on the Tauernautobahn (A10) between Golling and Werfen, drivers and, above all, residents in the neighboring communities are once again becoming increasingly frustrated and angry. After a summer break of around ten weeks, the traffic jam is back on the single-lane section - and on the roads away from the highway.

As project manager of the tunnel construction site, Hanspeter Treichl is also confronted with traffic jam avoidance.

(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

Asfinag, which began setting up the construction site in the tunnels at 8 p.m. on Monday, is already expecting traffic jams at the start. "There will already be delays in the coming days," says Hanspeter Treichl, project manager for the 14-kilometre-long construction site.

The traffic light system for block clearance in front of the north portal of the Ofenau tunnel is a constant source of congestion and anger.

(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

On-ramp and off-ramp closures for the A10
The summer months have been used for improvements and problem solving. For example, a speed reduction on busy days should improve the flow of traffic from Puch onwards. Red traffic lights are also to be activated at junctions during active block clearance. "The exit closures from Puch to Zederhaus are also in place until September 29," says Treichl.

The communities along the A10 are once again looking forward to the whole thing. It is hoped that the exit and junction closures will finally result in less through traffic and blockages in the centers, especially in the municipalities of Kuchl and Golling. "The aim is for traffic to stay on the A10 and not roll through," says Martin Dietrich.

We expect massive congestion from holidaymakers returning home until the beginning of October. The promised closure of the exit in Eben could be a remedy for the Fritztal and Pfarrwerfen.

Bernhard Weiß, Bürgermeister Pfarrwerfen (ÖVP)

However, the head of Golling is longing for next June. His colleague from Pfarrwerfen feels the same way. "The return journey of holidaymakers will keep us busy until the beginning of October," says Bernhard Weiß. Once this wave of travelers is over, the winter holiday traffic will soon be on the doorstep.