Innsbruck renews call for A12 motorway enclosure

Innsbruck has renewed its demand to cover the A12 Inntal motorway west of the city, ORF reported. The city made the appeal in letters to Chancellor Christian Stocker and Transport Minister Peter Hanke.

About 75,000 vehicles use the motorway west of Innsbruck every day. The affected areas include Mentlberg, Sieglanger, Höttinger Au and Kranebitten, as well as parts of the municipality of Völs.

Mayor Johannes Anzengruber said the noise pollution was severe and affected around 50,000 people. He said rising traffic volumes were creating a daily burden and that a noise barrier alone would not be sufficient.

Depending on its design, the enclosure could cost between 175 million and 250 million euros. Anzengruber said the funding was available and called on Hanke to instruct ASFINAG to proceed. He cited an annual ASFINAG surplus of 840 million euros and said revenue from tolls and motorway vignettes was available for the project.

The planned enclosure would be landscaped and could create new opportunities for urban development, according to architect Harald Schweiger, a spokesperson for the Einhausung West interest group. The group has campaigned for the project for eight years.

Schweiger said the alternative would be 10-metre-high noise barriers running through Innsbruck, which he called unsuitable for urban development. All factions of Innsbruck’s municipal council and the Tyrol state government support the enclosure plans.