Hallstatt Tunnel

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hallstatt Tunnel
Hallstatt Tunnel
South portals
traffic connection Hallstättersee street
place Hallstatt
length 654.9 / 549.0 m (west tube); 538.9 / 524.1 m (east tube)dep1
Number of tubes 2
construction
Client Province of Upper Austria
building-costs 61 million schillings
start of building April 18, 1964
business
release July 23, 1966
location
Hallstätter Tunnel (Upper Austria)
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Coordinates
North portal 47 ° 34 ′ 5 ″  N , 13 ° 39 ′ 1 ″  E
South portal 47 ° 33 '27 "  N , 13 ° 38' 50"  E

The Hallstätter Tunnel is located in the market town of Hallstatt in the Gmunden district in Upper Austria . The bypass tunnel is part of the Hallstättersee Straße and is designed as a double tunnel with a centrally located park terrace.

history

The through-town Hallstatt was originally a single-lane street, which was used from 1951 in traffic-light-controlled one-way traffic. Solutions to the traffic problem were sought as early as the 1930s, but failed because of the financing. With the further increase in tourism, including the commissioning of the Dachstein cable car , the need for a bypass became acute after the Second World War. In January 1958, a project was presented that envisaged a short tunnel in the north and a sea bypassing the town center. Initially welcomed, the plan soon met with opposition and was  rejected in a referendum in December 1958 by 58% of the voters. Nevertheless, the majority of the municipal council decided in 1960 in favor of the controversial project and against alternatives such as a hillside road above the town, a tunnel solution or a ferry connection from the eastern shore of the lake. However, apart from the demolition of one building, construction did not begin. The project ultimately failed due to the very difficult foundations of the lake route and the state government decided to re-tender the planning of the bypass. On April 3, 1964, it was decided to build a double road tunnel , and the tunnel was opened on April 18 . In December 1964, half of the tunneling work was completed when the Mühlbach Gorge was reached, and in mid-April 1965 both tubes were pierced at the northern end of the village. In November 1965 a tunnel tube was provisionally opened for passage, on July 23, 1966 the bypass was officially opened to traffic.

construction

The bypass was designed as an elevated road with two height-offset tunnels that pass under the entire district of Markt on the eastern flank of the Hallberg. In the middle of the route, the Mühlbach Gorge is crossed on bridges. There, directly above the town center, there are two superimposed park terraces that offer a view of Hallstatt and the lake as well as pedestrian access.

Awards

literature