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The huge mudslide simply buried the Alrbergstrasse tunnel. © Christian Gantner/Facebook
Another storm has hit western Austria. In Vorarlberg, a massive landslide buried an important tunnel. A federal highway and a company site near Salzburg were also buried under rubble.
Stuben – The stormy summer is once again causing major damage and disruption in the Alps. The large amounts of rain repeatedly cause floods, rockfalls and mudslides, which damage buildings and cover roads. During the night of Thursday, an important road connection from Tyrol to Vorarlberg was covered.
The rubble also penetrated the tunnel. © Christian Gantner/Facebook
The Arbergstraße (B197) is a federal road that, until the opening of the Arlberg tunnel, was the only direct road connection between the Austrian Vorarlberg and Tyrol. It leads from St. Anton am Arlberg in Tyrol (1284 meters) in the Stanzertal via St. Christoph over the Arlbergpass (1793 meters) and Stuben to Langen am Arlberg (1228 meters) in the Vorarlberg Klostertal. Since the Arlberg tunnel currently closed for renovation work it has currently temporarily regained its former meaning.
The Arlberg tunnel of the motorway is already closed – now also the alternative route
It was precisely during this phase that a mudslide hit the Passürtunnel on the Alrbergstrasse. On Wednesday evening (31 July) a storm moved from Vorarlberg towards Tyrol. It rained heavily, with 30 litres of rain per square metre falling in less than half an hour.
The masses of water set a gravel slope between Langen and Alpe Rauz in motion. A huge mudslide poured over the tunnel and buried it. The debris also penetrated the tunnel’s side openings, completely burying the roadway. “Avalanche and torrent control experts and geologists are currently investigating whether the gallery at the Passür tunnel can be reopened to traffic,” the state of Vorarlberg reported on its website this morning.
The weight of the rubble threatened to collapse the tunnel
The responsible state councillor Christian Gantner is pleased that no one was injured and praises the emergency services and private companies who are already using excavators to shovel away the gravel: “Thanks to their commitment, greater damage was prevented.” The clean-up work is already underway.
In the meantime, the connection to Tyrol was only possible for cars via Lech/Warth, and heavy traffic had to be diverted over a large area. Another problem arose: “The experts are currently clarifying whether the gallery at the Passür tunnel can be reopened to traffic,” it was announced in the morning. Meetings were to be held to decide how to proceed. It was finally decided to reopen the tunnel at midday.
The storm also raged near Salzburg and South Tyrol – in the Allgäu a man was killed by a rock
Sea ORF The storm meant that emergency services had to be called out over 70 times, particularly in the Feldkirch area and in the Arlberg region. But the storms also raged in the Salzburg region. A mudslide blocked the B99 between Eben and Hüttau-Niedernfritz (both in Pongau) and a company site with large amounts of mud and debris during the night of Friday. According to the Eben volunteer fire department, the mud masses were spread over a length of 150 meters. Clearing the road took more than four hours, reports the ORFIn the Bavarian Allgäu, a Hiker killed by a rockwhich had been knocked over by a falling tree.
The road to Sulden was also buried by a mudslide. © LPA/Landesstraßendienst
In South Tyrol, a heavy thunderstorm caused a mudslide on Wednesday evening, burying the state road to Sulden am Ortler (SS 622) and making it impassable. “Road service employees are currently working with the help of an external company to remove around 500 cubic metres of material. “We expect to be able to reopen the road to traffic this evening,” said Philipp Sicher, director of the regional road service department, in a press release.
In Northern Italy also recently experienced storms caused great damage and disruption. In the A large rockslide thundered in the Dolomites on a hiking trail.
