Helicopter transport flights

Continuous operation to secure after rockfall

The material weighing several tons was flown onto the slope by helicopter to secure the rock. The stabilization work after the rockfall is progressing faster than expected.(Bild: NÖ Straßendienst)

Specialists are working high above the B 33 in Wachau from Monday to Sunday. Due to the extreme steepness, a helicopter was also needed to fly safety material onto the slope. If everything goes smoothly, the road could be opened to traffic earlier than planned, announced Regional Transport Councillor Udo Landbauer.

A "steep" story enters the next chapter. After the rockfall on the B 33 near Aggsbach Dorf in the Wachau region, work has been going on seven days a week since October to secure the rock and open the road to traffic.

Helicopter deployment for material transport
Six tons of securing material have now been flown onto the slope by helicopter because no other delivery option was possible due to the steep and inaccessible terrain. However, the helicopter flight was delayed by several days due to the fog.

Tons of material flown onto the slope
A total of around 1,300 m² of high-performance rock mesh, weighing around three tons, was flown directly to the demolition edge. A further 270 running meters of solid rod anchors, also weighing 3000 kilograms, which are used to secure the remaining wedge in the slope, were also brought there," according to the office of Udo Landbauer, the state vice-president responsible for the project. With daily work from Monday to Sunday, the maximum is being used - which sometimes results in additional costs.

We are doing everything we can to get traffic flowing again as quickly as possible so that the region can hit the ground running again next year.

Landesvize Udo Landbauer

Bild: FPÖ

However, the work is already having an effect, emphasizes the Transport Minister. Three quarters of the rock nails have already been moved and 25 percent of the anchors have been drilled and inserted. "The well-coordinated teams of specialists are doing a great job under the most difficult conditions," praises Landbauer.

Opening to traffic for the apricot blossom is possible
The next step is to anchor the net so that work can continue safely underneath. A date for the opening to traffic has not yet been set. "If the weather cooperates and there are no complications, the road will certainly be opened to traffic earlier than planned," says Landbauer. There are rumors that it could be ready for the apricot blossom next spring.