Groundbreaking ceremony for Auerberg tunnel: Scheuer and Dobrindt on site: "Build the bissl tunnel already"

Important visitors at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Auerberg tunnel near Oberau: Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer and Member of the Bundestag Alexander Dobrindt (both CSU) came personally from Berlin.

Scheuer remembers an old anecdote in the Oberau parish hall.

Oberau

- the scenery could not have been more symbolic yesterday.

Outside on the B2, the cars dragged themselves at a snail's pace past the tunnel construction site at the Oberau north portal in a southerly direction.

A few meters away, a delegation from the brass band played at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Auerberg tunnel.

It is logical that the present politicians referred not only once to the stop-and-go on the federal highway.

Peter Imminger, as mayor, also host on Oberauer Flur, couldn't help it.

“It actually goes like this almost every day, not just on weekends,” he told the guests.

“It's unbearable.” Imminger is fed up with it - like many others.

He longs for May in the year 2022.

This is currently the target time window for opening the bypass.

Eschenlohe is the place name that is most often mentioned in traffic news

Many are waiting for relief.

Also Anton Kölbl, the CSU colleague and town hall chief of Eschenlohe a station to the north in the Loisach valley, which the expansion around the Auerberg project will help in particular.

“Eschenlohe is the place name in Bavarian traffic news that is certainly mentioned the most often.

So you can't imagine how happy I am today. ”The groundbreaking ceremony is a signal that“ the day is in sight when the traffic on our doorstep will finally no longer be reduced from two to one lane ”.

+

There was also time for fun: Andreas Scheuer (right) interviewed Alexander Dobrindt.

© Thomas Sehr

Suffering communities should get their peace. An important factor for Alexander Dobrindt. "Traffic turnaround has nothing to do with maximum traffic jams," he said briefly in the direction of the critics. "It's about a region that is suffering a lot, about a solution for guests, but especially for those who live here."

The MP in Berlin and Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer were the celebrities of the morning.

Both CSU top politicians left no doubt about the way to expand the transport infrastructure in the Loisach Valley.

"The 167 million euros for the Auerberg tunnel are money well spent," said Scheuer.

"We relieve the villages, increase the quality of life, you can make better progress, the risk of accidents decreases and safety on the road increases." The Federal Minister also pointed over to B2.

You just have to look at the vehicles.

"Commercial and excursion traffic, and very few license plates are local." His conclusion: "You can see that the relief is urgently needed."

16 years ago Andreas Scheuer was scolded by the mayor of Oberau, Peter Imminger

Scheuer also had an anecdote from the early years of the project in store. At that time, the Passauer was still a State Secretary. "I was sitting at an event in the rectory and was scolded by Peter Imminger that the bypass was not going ahead." It must have been 2005. 16 years later, the Oberau tunnel is about to be completed, and the Auerberg route is also coming. Imminger just laughed. “Back then, he said: I'm going to build a bit of a tunnel. I didn't believe him at all, ”reveals the Oberau town hall chief. But he has revised his opinion vigorously: "In the meantime I've come to the point where I believe everything he says," said Imminger and laughed uproariously.

Before the top-class guests were allowed to pick up the shovel for the symbolic act, Dobrindt also briefly looked ahead at the Wanktunnel.

"The first drilling will take place in September," he announced.

And the Peißenberger once again stated the goal of “finishing at the same time” with the Auerberg.

Around the year 2028. "We will not give up in order to get this last component."

Alexander Dobrindt directs clear words to tunnel opponents

Once again he addressed the opponents of the tunnel with haunting words: "When I read in press releases that you don't need the Auerberg tunnel, or that tunnels are no solution, then just take a look at the street to see what the people here have to endure." against the expansion of the B2, which "clearly says that he does not want the relief for the people". Scheuer emphasized that the federal government is investing “more than ever in the railways”, but it is clear in all forecasts up to 2030 that road traffic will not decrease.

The expansion of the rail was also Dr. Michael Rapp (CSU), despite all the enthusiasm for the tunnel projects, is very important. "This day is something special for the district, but the rails must not disappear from the field of vision," the deputy mayor made clear. “We recently fell short of the railways. We also have to make the journey by train as pleasant as possible for day trippers. "

Michael Kordon, the regional manager of Autobahn GmbH, briefly outlined how things will continue at this new double construction site in the north of Oberau. Of course, the big construction machines don't come and dig into the mountain right away. “It takes extensive preparatory work,” he emphasizes. The Weghaus junction will be completed this year, but the actual tunnel construction will not begin before the end of 2023. “The slope must first be paved so that we can even go into the mountain.” Work that is being tackled quickly so as not to endanger the traffic clearance for the Oberau tunnel. “Because there isn't a lot of space in this area, so we have to prepare everything. After all, we want to burden the flow of traffic as little as possible later. "