Tauern Cycle Route construction delayed until 2027

Construction of a new section of the Tauern Cycle Route in Weißbach near Lofer, in Salzburg’s Pinzgau district, will not begin this year as planned, ORF reported on Sunday. Work is now expected to start in spring 2027.

Delays to detailed planning and the approval process are responsible, Weißbach Mayor Josef Hohenwarter said. Water law and nature conservation permits must be obtained before the project can be put out to tender, he said, adding that the process would extend into late autumn.

The route is not expected to be completed before autumn 2027. Cyclists will therefore probably still have to use a shuttle bus next summer, Hohenwarter said.

Cyclists currently have to take the shuttle for the roughly four-kilometre stretch between Weißbach’s Frohnwies district and Dießbach. The original route has been closed since 2025 because of the risk of falling rocks.

Cyclists are prohibited from using the parallel Pinzgauer Straße B311 because of heavy traffic. The Zell am See district authority imposed the ban, while the state provides a free shuttle bus. It runs every 30 minutes from 8.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m., with a lunch break, and can carry 15 bicycles and 19 people.