Flexenpass

Flexenpass
	Flexenpass with Flexen-Häusl , in the background the Rüfispitze ( 2632 m above sea level )
Pass height	1773 m above sea level A.
state	Vorarlberg
expansion	Flexenpass road
Built	1895-1897
Winter closure	-
	Map (Vorarlberg)
Coordinates	47 ° 9 '30 " N , 10 ° 9' 54" E Coordinates: 47 ° 9 '30 " N , 10 ° 9' 54" E

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The Flexenpass is a mountain pass in the state of Vorarlberg ( Austria ), which crosses the upper Lech Valley between Warth , Lech and Zürs at 1773 m above sea level. A. connects with the Klostertal near Stuben .

The Flexenpassstraße (officially part of the Lechtalstraße L 198) leads from Lech and Zürs over the Flexenpass and through the Flexengalerie and has been flowing into the Arlbergstraße (L 197) at the Alpe Rauz between Stuben and the Arlbergpass since 1940 .

The Rhine-Danube watershed , which is part of the main European watershed , runs over the Flexenpass .

history

The fact that the Flexenpass was already crossed in prehistoric times is proven by the discovery of a Bronze Age ax that was made when the road to Zürs was being built. At least this was reported in the Vorarlberg Museum Report of 1899. In the late Middle Ages , the Flexen became more important, at the latest at that time a mule path was laid out. In the 15./16. In the 19th century, the mule track over the Flexenpass was referred to as the "country road". The mule track, which is only used regionally, never achieved great importance, but was always in the shadow of the Arlberg Pass .

The modern street

The need for today's street arose after the opening of the Arlbergbahn in 1884, the first construction of the route was planned by Paul Ilmer . Previously, the most used routes - including from what is now Lech over the Schrofen Pass - led to Oberstdorf in the north .

On August 3, 1895, the construction of the Flexenstrasse from Stuben over the Flexenpass to Lech and Warth began under master builder Johann Bertolini .

On October 11, 1897, the first section of the new Flexenstrasse up to the top of the pass was inaugurated. Instead of the old mule track with its many bends ( flexes ) from Stuben west of the Zürser Bach through a steep southern slope that is constantly prone to avalanches up to Zürs, a junction was built from the Arlbergstraße above Stuben at Alpe Rauz and a new route was laid in the rock. The first protective roofs were built, as well as a tunnel and a bridge over the Hölltobel. The street width was initially three meters. In 1909 the road to the Tyrolean Lechtal was finished.

Flexenstrasse was declared a federal road in 1933 by an ordinance of the federal government . Since 1936, Flexenstrasse has been regularly cleared and kept drivable even in winter. Until then, the road was mostly not cleared until Pentecost. From 1948 onwards, substantial funds from the Marshall Plan were invested in improving avalanche protection on the road.

Tunnel projects

In 2000, plans for a Flexen base tunnel from Stuben to Zürs became known with the aim of a winter-safe access from Langen to Lech. The tunnel was to lead from Stuben to the Monzabon Alpe. This should make Zürs car-free. Flexenstrasse should be shut down in the long term. The governor of Vorarlberg, Herbert Sausgruber , made it clear in 2002: "For the Erzberg Tunnel, the planned winter-safe road connection to Lech and Zürs, there is no money in the whole history." After this powerful word, the plans were buried.

Redevelopment

From 2002, on behalf of the road maintenance authority, the state of Vorarlberg, the Flexengalerie, which had been in existence since 1897, was fundamentally renovated after both the Arlbergstrasse and Flexenstrasse had been severely damaged as a result of various landslides and rockfalls. As a result, the safety of the access to Lech and Zürs suffered, especially in the winter months when it was not possible to access from Warth . Originally they wanted a new tunnel, especially in Lech, but the renovation of the Flexengalerie made it possible to implement the necessary security of the access significantly more cost-effectively. The existing gallery had to be partially rebuilt from scratch. In addition, it was necessary in some areas to lower the carriageway so that the Flexengalerie can meet today's requirements. The originally estimated construction and renovation costs amounted to 16.8 million euros. In 2018, the extensive construction work on Flexenstrasse was completed and the new Flexengalerie was opened.