€18 million flood protection project to start in Wald im Pinzgau

Construction of an €18 million flood protection project in Wald im Pinzgau will officially begin in September after years of negotiations and planning, ORF reported. The project is intended to protect the settlement from landslides, debris flows and flooding from the upper Salzach River.

Preparatory work has already taken place. The project will filter debris and driftwood from the upper Salzach before they can reach homes, while also stabilising slopes and the riverbed.

The measures will protect 349 residential, commercial, agricultural and public properties, along with about 6.3 kilometres of federal and provincial roads, 2.6 kilometres of single-track railway and seven kilometres of municipal and other roads. The regionally important 380-kilovolt Kaprun-Zillertal power connection operated by APG will also be secured.

Construction will take place in several stages through 2035. Franz Anker of the torrent and avalanche control service said safety would improve from the first construction phase, which is due to begin intensively in autumn.