Project worth millions

Why Asfinag is now renovating 170 emergency call pillars

Gabriel Rott (left) and Christoph Zappulla in front of one of the renewed pillars.(Bild: Asfinag)

Despite the age of cell phones, the orange pillars along the Tyrolean freeways remain indispensable. Asfinag is investing more than 1 million euros and explains why the money is a good investment.

Imagine you don't really know your way around Tyrol. Or maybe you're just passing through and your car breaks down on the A12 in the middle of the night. How can the breakdown service be reached by cell phone? And where exactly am I anyway? Even locals can face problems in such situations.

A distance of two kilometers
The approximately 170 emergency call pillars along the Inntal freeway, which are located every two kilometers, are helpful - as they were decades ago. "These emergency call pillars are currently being renovated and the entire project is costing around 1.1 million euros," says Asfinag press spokesman Alexander Holzedl. In total, including open land, there are around 250 emergency call pillars in Tyrol.

The construction work for the renovation is still ongoing.(Bild: Asfinag)

Comprehensibility now improved
What is actually happening on the A12? "The snow protection is being renewed and all emergency call pillars are being given clearly recognizable SOS lettering. The stickers on the emergency call pillars and the electronics will also be replaced for even better speech intelligibility." The pillars are automatically connected to the nearest Asfinag traffic management center.

The new snow protection from Kufstein to around Kramsach has already been replaced. "The project is therefore still being implemented and will be completed by the end of 2024," says Holzedl.