Silvretta High Alpine Road could reopen in 2029

The Silvretta High Alpine Road could reopen in 2029, a year earlier than previously planned, operator illwerke vkw said Thursday, according to ORF. The revised target follows a new assessment of the geological conditions along the route.

With support from a university professor, the company has refined its planned safety measures so that smaller protective structures may be sufficient. The reopening remains subject to regulatory approvals and decisions by the company’s supervisory board, which was briefed on the new assessment on Wednesday. Work between hairpin bends 13 and 14 has been completed.

Over the coming months, illwerke vkw will draw up detailed plans for securing several kilometres of road. Measures will need to be adapted to local geological conditions and approved by authorities. Because construction in the high mountains is possible for only a few months each year, the schedule remains challenging.

The company plans to make the necessary decisions in spring 2027, once the detailed planning and consultations produce reliable results. In March 2026, it had said the road would remain closed through 2029, with reopening planned for summer 2030.

Two debris flows, in 2024 and 2025, led to the closure. A further flow in July 2025 prompted the company to abandon plans for an earlier reopening. In August, it said reopening sooner was not possible without the planned safety work.

Vorarlberg Governor Markus Wallner had called for the work to be accelerated, saying a reopening only in 2030 was too long to wait. The closure has affected tourism and businesses in the upper Montafon, according to the article.