Tauern Road Tunnel, Road tunnel in Salzburg, Austria.
Tauern Road Tunnel is a road tunnel in Salzburg, Austria, that runs for 6546 meters through the Eastern Alps along the A10 motorway between Flachau and Zederhaus. The structure consists of twin tubes that carry traffic beneath the mountain range, linking two valleys on either side.
Construction began in January 1971 and continued for over four years until the opening in June 1975. A serious fire in 1999 prompted plans for a second tube, which opened in 2011 to improve traffic flow and emergency response.
This route crosses beneath the Radstadt Tauern range, where early miners once extracted zinc and silver from the mountain. The region around both tunnel portals still reflects the traces of that mining past in local place names and old workings.
Drivers pay a toll to pass through, often combined with the fee for the nearby Katschberg Tunnel when traveling along the A10. It is wise to plan extra time during busy holiday periods when traffic slows in both tubes.
After the fire in 1999, engineers installed new ventilation and emergency systems that became a model for tunnel safety across Europe. The second tube also serves as an escape route for the opposite lane during incidents, improving overall protection.
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