Klauser Tunnels, Road tunnel system near Molln, Austria
The Klauser Tunnels are a road tunnel system on the A9 Pyhrn Autobahn in Upper Austria, carrying traffic through the rocky terrain of the Klaus gorge. The tubes run directly through the rock face, bypassing the narrow passage that once made this section difficult to cross.
The Klauser Tunnels were built as part of the construction of the A9 Pyhrn Autobahn in the 1970s and 1980s, replacing a mountain road that had long been a bottleneck through the Klaus gorge. The gorge itself had been a natural barrier on this route for centuries before the tunnel made it passable for modern traffic.
The Klauser Tunnels sit on the A9 Pyhrn Autobahn, one of Austria's main north-south routes linking the Alpine foothills to Styria. For commuters and long-distance drivers, this corridor is a routine part of daily travel.
The tunnels are part of the A9 Pyhrn Autobahn and open year-round to all standard road vehicles. Drivers should expect heavier traffic during summer travel periods, when this route is a common passage for holiday travel between northern Austria and the Adriatic coast.
Before the tunnels were built, the Klaus gorge was considered one of the most difficult passages on the road between Linz and Graz, and drivers often chose long detours to avoid it. Today, most people pass through without noticing the deep rocky gorge that runs just below the road level.
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