Storm Emergency bridge would have slowed down construction work on the A13
The first cars drive over the reopened A13 near Lostallo GR on Friday morning.
Image: Keystone
After heavy thunderstorms two weeks ago, the section of road was washed out by the nearby Moesa and collapsed.
Image: Keystone
The first cars drive over the reopened A13 near Lostallo GR on Friday morning.
Image: Keystone
After heavy thunderstorms two weeks ago, the section of road was washed out by the nearby Moesa and collapsed.
Image: Keystone
The A13 San Bernardino route is open again. The section of road near Lostallo GR that was washed away by the storms can now be driven on in one lane. As Astra has now announced, the rapid reopening also has to do with the decision not to build an emergency bridge.
An emergency bridge would not have been appropriate, the Federal Roads Office (Astra) wrote on Friday in response to an inquiry from the Keystone-SDA news agency. An emergency bridge would have required additional construction work, which would have interfered with the work required for the road.
In addition, the bridge could only have been driven on at a maximum speed of 30 km/h. This would have meant that the capacity for stable road operation would have been too low, the statement continued.
At present, cars and heavy goods vehicles can pass the repaired section of the A13 highway at a speed of 80 km/h in two-way traffic. The opening of the section of road was monitored on site by Astra on Friday morning. The variable message displays, which had previously informed road users of the closure, were also switched over as planned.
According to the latest estimates, it will take until next fall before the highway can be used again to its usual extent. However, it is estimated that the capacity of the A13 will hardly be less than normal with the restrictions.
Reconstruction costs 5 to 7 million
According to Astra, the clean-up and reconstruction work will cost between five and seven million Swiss francs. After just two weeks, those responsible were able to open the provisional route.
Astra attributes this to the uninterrupted construction work thanks to the stable weather and the almost undamaged nearby Buffalora Bridge. Nevertheless, Astra is not recommending the route as an alternative to the A2 for the time being.
Astra told Keystone-SDA that it first wanted to ensure that the A13 would operate as expected. Only when traffic conditions permit will the A13 be recommended again as an alternative route to the A2 at the Gotthard.
