Rheintal/Walgau Autobahn

Last updated
A14-AT.svg
Motorway A14
Rheintal/Walgau Autobahn A14
Karte A14 AT.svg
Route information
Part of E43-AT.svg E43 E60-AT.svg E60
Length61 km (38 mi)
Major junctions
FromBundesautobahn 96 number.svg A 96
ToS16-AT.svg S 16 in Bludenz
Location
Country Austria
States Vorarlberg
Major cities Bregenz, Dornbirn, Bludenz
Highway system
  • Highways of Austria
A13-AT.svg A 13 A21-AT.svg A 21

The Rheintal/Walgau Autobahn (A14) is a motorway in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg.

Contents

It begins directly after the German Bundesautobahn 96 at the German-Austrian border near Hörbranz, passes through the Pfändertunnel past Bregenz into the Rhine Valley, through the Ambergtunnel past Feldkirch into the Walgau and ends at Bludenz, becoming the Arlberg Schnellstraße (S16).

Until 2006, the official name of the A14 was only Rheintal Autobahn. In Vorarlberg, the name Rheintal Autobahn was only used for the part of the A14 in the Rhine Valley (i.e. the route Hörbranz-Feldkirch), while the part located in the Walgau (Feldkirch-Bludenz) was unofficially referred to as the Walgau Autobahn.

History

Prehistory and plans

Already in the mid-1930s, traffic planners recognized that the rapidly increasing motorized traffic would be too much for existing roads. A first study was commissioned before the Nazi era and had the title HaFraBa (motorway Hanseatic cities-Frankfurt-Basel).

After the annexation of Austria to the German Reich in 1939, another highway study was commissioned, which provided for a connection from Wangen im Allgäu to Feldkirch. It would only connect to the cities of Lindau, Bregenz, Dornbirn and Feldkirch. An alpine road would lead via the Pfänder to Scheidegg to the Queralpenstraße. These plans, however, were thrown out with the beginning of the war in 1939.

In occupied post-war Austria, motorization had reached its lowest level. Only in 1952 Baurat Netzer developed a study that envisaged the expansion of the Bundesstraße 1 with bypasses. An overload of the highways could only be divined in the local thoroughfares. The first large-scale traffic census in 1955 and a traffic forecast based on it showed that even in Vorarlberg, an extension of the Bundesstraße alone would not have the desired effect. A memorandum from 1956 mentions a motorway from Unterhochsteg to Feldkirch and from Lauterach to the Swiss border. The planning for these was started immediately, as there was a need, especially in the area of Bregenz.

Final planning and construction

Aerial view of the Dornbirn-Nord junction in 1977, where the highway ended at this time Dornbirner Ach Maander 1977.jpg
Aerial view of the Dornbirn-Nord junction in 1977, where the highway ended at this time
A14 Rheintalautobahn seen from Gebhardsberg A14 Rheintalautobahn.JPG
A14 Rheintalautobahn seen from Gebhardsberg
Characteristic crossing of the Udelberg at Gotzis UdelbergA14VLBG.JPG
Characteristic crossing of the Udelberg at Götzis
Tunneling machine during the construction of the second Pfandertunnel tube Tunnelvortriebsmaschine im Pfandertunnel.jpg
Tunneling machine during the construction of the second Pfändertunnel tube

On October 29, 1965, ground was broken for the construction of the first section of the Rheintal Autobahn from Dornbirn Nord to Götzis Straßenhäuser. [1] The rock material extracted from the Udelberg puncture was mainly used for this construction phase. The geological subsurface of this construction phase, in particular at Dornbirn-Nord, is unstable to this day and requires frequent adjustments and improvements. [2] This motorway section was opened for traffic on 17 December 1971. [3]

Only in 1973, after several years of preparation and uncertainty, did the planning of the Pfändertunnel begin as another important part of the new motorway. Already a year later, the directional tunnel was tendered, and breakthrough occurred on 4 December 1975. The full excavation of the tunnel began in the autumn of 1976. At the same time, access roads were built from the Austria-Germany border and to the Dornbirn-Nord junction. On December 10, 1980, the new tunnel was officially opened, but still without a connection to the city of Bregenz at this time. In the following years, the expansion of this highway to Feldkirch was sped up. The Ambergtunnel to Frastanz was opened on 16 July 1985, which opened the way to the Walgau. In the meantime, the motorway section in the Walgau had already been opened on June 5, 1981, which was now connected to the section in the Rhine Valley. With the Arlbergschnellstraße (S 16) there was thus a direct road connection from the German border near Hörbranz to the neighboring state of Tyrol, but only two lanes with oncoming traffic in the area of the two large tunnels.

Adaptation to traffic conditions

As a result of the massive increase in traffic in the 1980s and 1990s, plans for the second tube of the Amberg Tunnel began before the turn of the millennium. In December 2003, it was opened to traffic. Finally, in the summer of 2004, the original tube, which had been in existence since 1985, was completely refurbished and adapted for one-way operation.

The plans for a second Pfändertunnel tube could only begin with a change in the transport concept of Vorarlberg in 2001. Up to this time, it was planned to prevent the expansion in order to maintain the gatekeeper effect on the traffic. However, since this gatekeeping effect did not occur and the traffic load in the secondary road network was increasingly higher due to congestion avoidance traffic in Bregenz and the surrounding area, this concept was finally changed and the planning started. Construction of the second tube began in April 2006 and was completed in June 2012, after which the old tube was completely renovated. The full operation of both tubes in directional traffic began on 3 July 2013. [4]

The reason for the construction of a junction "Rheintal Mitte" in Dornbirn was to cater for the greatly expanded industrial / lorry traffic flowing through some critical town junctions. In the area of the underpass of the L 45 Schmitternstraße/Schweizerstrasse under the Rheintal/Walgau Autobahn, a new motorway junction was completed in 2022, which, in connection with the expansion of the L 45, now connects the industrial areas in the south of Dornbirn to the motorway. This involved changing the names of the junctions. Dornbirn Süd was renamed Dornbirn West, and the new junction Rheintal Mitte was renamed to Dornbirn Süd. By doing this the administration took a bold step to align with actual geography. Temporarily, all guide books telling drivers to leave the motorway at Dornbirn Süd, were wrong. The name Dornbirn Süd had moved to the new junction. [5]

The Wolfurt-Lauterach half-interchange is to be expanded, with the conversion of the Wolfurt freight yard, to a full interchange, in order to counteract the steadily growing truck traffic of the municipalities of Lauterach and Wolfurt.

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vorarlberg</span> State of Austria

Vorarlberg is the westernmost state of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the second-highest population density. It borders three countries: Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. The only Austrian state that shares a border with Vorarlberg is Tyrol, to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dornbirn</span> Place in Vorarlberg, Austria

Dornbirn is a city in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is the administrative centre for the district of Dornbirn, which also includes the town of Hohenems, and the market town Lustenau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hohenems</span> Place in Vorarlberg, Austria

Hohenems is a town in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg in the Dornbirn district. It lies in the middle of the Austrian part of the Rhine valley. With a population of 16,946, it is the fifth largest municipality in Vorarlberg. Hohenems' attractions include a Renaissance palace dating back to the 16th century, a Jewish history museum, and the old town center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bludenz</span> Place in Vorarlberg, Austria

Bludenz is a town in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is the administrative seat of the Bludenz District, which encompasses about half of the Vorarlberg's territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz</span> Association football club in Austria

Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz or SW Bregenz is an association football club based in the town of Bregenz, Vorarlberg, Austria. The club competes in Austrian 2. Liga, the second tier of the Austrian football. Founded in 1919, it is affiliated to the Vorarlberg Football Association. The team plays its home matches at ImmoAgentur Stadion, where it has been based since 1951. The club's history includes numerous promotions and relegations and some spells of sustained success, including participation in the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2002 and 2004. The club went bankrupt in 2005 and was subsequently refounded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FC Dornbirn 1913</span> Association football club in Austria

Fußballclub Dornbirn 1913, commonly known as FC Mohren Dornbirn 1913 for sponsorship reasons is a professional association football club based in the town of Dornbirn, Vorarlberg, Austria, that competes in the Austrian 2. Liga, the second tier of the Austrian football league system. Founded in 1913, it is affiliated to the Vorarlberg Football Association. The team plays its home matches at Stadion Birkenwiese, where it has been based since 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindau-Insel station</span>

Lindau-Insel station is the largest station in the city of Lindau (Bodensee) and was its most important station until passenger service resumed at Lindau-Reutin station on December 13, 2020. In the urban area there is also Lindau-Aeschach station and Lindau-Reutin freight yard. Formerly there were also Lindau-Siebertsdorf, Lindau Langenweg, Lindau Strandbad, Schoenau, Oberreitnau and Rehlings.

Hatlerdorf is the second precinct of the City of Dornbirn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vorarlberg Railway</span>

The Vorarlberg Railway denotes a through line running through the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Its route is similar to the Rheintal/Walgau Autobahn from the border between Lindau and Hörbranz to Bludenz, where it connects to the Arlberg Railway. The entire route in Austria is owned and is operated up to Lindau-Insel by the Austrian Federal Railways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Bernhard</span> Austrian politician

Christian Bernhard is an Austrian politician in Vorarlberg. Bernhard is, since 6 June 2012, the Landesrat of Health and Disabled Aide of the Vorarlberg regional government.

Manfred Rein was an Austrian politician for the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and president of the Economic Chamber of Vorarlberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlberg Schnellstraße</span> Expressway in Austria

The Arlberg Schnellstraße (S16) is an expressway (Schnellstraße) in Austria that is part of the E 60. It runs along a length of 62.2 km between Zams and Bludenz and connects the Inn Valley Autobahn (A12) in Tyrol with the Rheintal/Walgau Autobahn (A14) in Vorarlberg. The border between the two states is located in the Arlberg Tunnel (toll), which is 13,972 m long and is also the longest road tunnel in Austria. Overall, more than half of the route runs in long tunnels.

The Vorarlberg Rhine Valley, also called the Vorarlberg Oberland and Unterland, is a section of the Alpine Rhine Valley and is divided into the Upper and Lower Rhine Valley based on the direction of flow of the river. The Unterland runs from the shore of Lake Constance to the Kummenberg, the Upper Rhine valley lies south of the Kummenberg. The Unterland covers the whole of the administrative district of Dornbirn and all the territories of the district of Bregenz that lie within the Rhine Valley. In this region, which includes the urban areas of Bregenz and Dornbirn, live about 180,000 people, around half the population of Vorarlberg. The "green lung" of this region is the Vorarlberg Ried, which is on the border with Switzerland and is surrounded by the settlements of Vorarlberg on three sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chur–Rorschach railway line</span> Railway line in Switzerland

The Chur–Rorschach railway line, also called the Rhine Valley line, is a standard gauge railway line in Switzerland. It belongs to the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) and is located in the cantons of St. Gallen and the Grisons.

The Rhine delta of Lake Constance is the river delta on the southeastern shore of Lake Constance, which the Rhine has formed in a former sea area. It lies mostly in the Austrian province of Vorarlberg, smaller areas are in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen. The two peninsulas in the lake are called Rheinspitz (west) and Rohrspitz (east).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lustenau railway station</span> Railway station in Vorarlberg, Austria

Lustenau railway station is a railway station in the town of Lustenau, located in the district of Dornbirn in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is an intermediate stop on the standard gauge St. Margrethen–Lauterach line of Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bregenz Riedenburg railway station</span> Railway station in Vorarlberg, Austria

Bregenz Riedenburg railway station, also known as Riedenburg railway station, is a railway station in the town of Bregenz, the capital of the district of Bregenz in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It sits at the junction of the standard gauge Vorarlberg and St. Margrethen–Lauterach lines of Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).

The Eliteliga Vorarlberg is a third-tier division of Austrian football introduced in the 2019–20 season as one of the successor of the Austrian Regionalliga West. It covers the Austrian state of Vorarlberg and is one of five leagues at this level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauterach railway station</span> Railway station in Vorarlberg, Austria

Lauterach railway station is a railway station in the town of Lauterach in the district of Bregenz in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It sits at the junction of the standard gauge Vorarlberg and St. Margrethen–Lauterach lines of Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).

References

  1. Vorarlberger Nachrichten vom 29.
  2. Vorarlberger Nachrichten vom 17.
  3. Vorarlberger Nachrichten vom 17.
  4. A 14 Rheintal Autobahn Vollausbau Pfändertunnel at archive.today (archived 14 January 2013)
  5. Land Vorarlberg, Abteilung Straßenbau: Autobahnanschlussstelle Rheintal Mitte / L 45 .