For the opening of the B33

Boulder high above the Wachau was blasted off

Hundreds of cubic meters of blasted rock material thundered onto the cone of rubble on Friday, which is (still) blocking the B 33.

(Bild: Molnar Attila/Attila Molnar)

The safety work after the devastating slope collapse is making progress. A dangerous boulder was blasted off on Friday. The B33 closure is to be lifted earlier than planned.

On Friday morning, experts deposited around 20 kilograms of explosives in the demolition site of the landslide that fell on June 3 near Aggsbach-Dorf in the district of Melk and buried the B33. The important road link in the Wachau region has been closed ever since.

Clean-up work continues apace
The explosive charge was used to tackle a 125 cubic meter boulder that was hanging precariously over the cone of rubble. When the cloud of dust had settled, Udo Landbauer, Regional Councillor for Transport, was able to announce: "The clearing work can now proceed quickly. We will open the B33 much sooner than originally expected."

We will be able to open this important traffic artery in the Wachau before Easter. This will provide clarity and planning security for the entire region.

Udo Landbauer, Verkrehrslandesrat von Niderösterreich

Bild: FPÖ

Working hours have been extended
By the beginning of the month, all of the rock nails had already been set in preparation for networking the demolition area. "Extending the teams' working hours to seven days a week has proven to be very effective," says Landbauer. The blasted rock will be removed by excavator from Monday. This should complete all the safety measures in the upper part of the slope before Christmas. The debris cone will then be cleared and the rockfall protection installed. Landbauer: "We will be able to lift the road closure before Easter."