Stress in Köstendorf

Far too little time for tunnel objections

The project has been keeping the people of Köstendorf on their toes since 2018.(Bild: Markus Tschepp)

The environmental report on the Flachgautunnel has been delayed again. This means that the citizens of the Salzburg municipality only have four weeks. And even over the Christmas holidays.

December will be extremely stressful for the people of Köstendorf. The reason is once again the planned Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) tunnel. The Flachgau village will become the center of the mega construction site for the billion-euro project.

This is because the revised environmental impact assessment (EIA) documents are due to be submitted on December 10. The hearing will then take place in January. "This is once again unsatisfactory for us," says Köstendorf Mayor Wolfgang Wagner (ÖVP), adding: "We only have four weeks to submit our comments and objections." The documents were originally scheduled to be published on November 26. However, this now leaves two weeks less time.

The tunnel is intended to relieve the existing route.(Bild: Markus Tschepp)

Citizens were already able to submit their comments last April. In addition, the citizens' initiatives also had to form within a very short time. There was also a narrow time window in January: there were also only four weeks to review the documents and respond. The files for the procedure are already 8800 pages long! They have to be plowed through first.

It is extremely difficult to raise objections in such a short space of time. And then there's the Christmas period.

Bürgermeister Wolfgang Wagner

Bild: Tschepp Markus

Expert opinions are supported with 9000 euros
The objections from the spring are currently still being reviewed. "Citizens and initiatives have submitted 190 objections," reports the head of the village. From the community's point of view, traffic and infrastructure measures need to be discussed more thoroughly. But there is also support for the population from the municipality.

At the municipal council meeting on October 10, it was decided to cover the costs of expert opinions amounting to 9,000 euros. This concerns the impact during the construction phase. The aim is to prove that the limit values for noise, emissions and dust are too high.

Incidentally, expert opinions that could jeopardize the project are not supported. Because it is clear to the municipality that the tunnel should go ahead. However, the impact must be tolerable for residents.