A new Bavarian road tunnel is now open to traffic
A new road bypass tunnel is now open to traffic in the Bavarian village of Oberau in Germany. Lying to the south of Munich, the bypass section has cost €260 million to construct. Much of the funding required was supplied by the German Federal Government.
The bypass around Oberau is 4.2km in length, with the twin tube tunnel measuring 3km and making it the longest road tunnel in Bavaria. The new bypass features two lanes in either direction and carries the B2 route, which connects with the A95 Autobahn.
The B2 route carries heavy traffic volumes to the German holiday destination of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and also to ski resorts in nearby Austria, with the border lying a short distance to the south. The bypass was constructed to reduce congestion in Oberau and also to address concerns over safety. Approval for the project was given in the second quarter of 2014 and construction commenced in the first quarter of 2016.
The tunnels were bored using a combination of the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) and drilling and blasting in areas where the rock was particularly hard. The work was carried out by a consortium, RGETunnel Oberau, headed by Marti Tunnelbau.
A number of other road tunnels will be built in South Bavaria in due course to address similar congestion as well as concerns over safety.