Kramertunnel nears completion, but wetland concerns remain

The Kramertunnel, a road tunnel intended to ease traffic in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, is on track to open in 2028, but concerns remain over damage to nearby spring-fed hillside mires. BR reports that monitoring will determine whether the wetlands can recover without artificial watering.

Construction crews have laid 900 metres of roadway inside the tunnel, where a machine is advancing north at about nine metres per hour. More than 7,000 cubic metres of concrete are due to be installed in a little over 10 working days. The bright concrete road and walls are designed to reduce the energy needed for lighting, tunnel engineer Raphael Zuber said.

The hillside mires above the tunnel were once permanently wet, with springs and streams supporting rare plants, frogs and the four-toothed whorl snail. Andreas Keller of the environmental group Bund Naturschutz says heavy machinery damaged the wetlands and that a nearby stream is now dry. The species depend on a steady supply of cool spring water, around eight degrees Celsius throughout the year.

Water is currently being piped into the mires from the Lahnewiesgraben, about two kilometres away. Keller says its temperature and chemical composition differ from those of the original spring water and doubts the area can be restored to its former condition.

The road construction authority says the tunnel has been sealed since last December and that groundwater levels are being allowed to rise again. Some hillside springs began flowing in February, including the Sonnbichl spring. Since April, more than 40 metres of water have stood above the tunnel, Zuber said.

Because 2026 has been exceptionally dry, artificial watering is continuing. Zuber said one to three litres of water per second are now being directed into the mires, less than before. Officials inspect the area twice a week and record spring activity, soil moisture and the status of the snail. The pipes will be removed only after it is established that the system can function without them. Zuber said it was not yet possible to predict when that might happen.

Keller fears the springs may never return to their former flow. He says further work inside the mountain could be needed if they do not. Their condition will become clearer once the artificial watering is stopped and the springs are assessed without it.

The tunnel is due to open as a bypass in 2028. Construction costs have quadrupled to more than 400 million euros. A planning approval process is also under way for the Wank Tunnel on Federal Highway 2 towards Mittenwald, with construction expected to begin no earlier than 2030.