Montfort Bridge

Feldkirch faces huge construction site

The Montfort bridge is being renewed.(Bild: Stadt Feldkirch)

As heavy rainfall events continue to increase, many municipalities are responding by expanding their flood protection. Feldkirch is no exception. Next year, the Montfort Bridge will be renewed and the construction work is scheduled to take two years. 

In order to protect the Montfort Bridge and therefore Feldkirch's city center from the dangers of a hundred-year flood, the bridge must be raised by around one and a half meters in order to be able to maintain a minimum distance of one meter - the so-called freeboard - between the flood level and the lower edge of the bridge even during floods. This will minimize the risk of blockages caused by floating debris. This requires extensive construction work and alternative routes. This spring, both a temporary bridge for car traffic and a separate temporary footbridge for pedestrians will be built. Demolition of the old bridge and construction of the new one will then begin in August. The new bridge is expected to be open to traffic by December 2026 at the latest.  

Construction is scheduled to take a total of two years. The construction site will require a number of detour. For cyclists, these will be via the Heilig-Kreuz-Brücke and the Illsteg. Bus services will also be affected. 

Restrictions in city traffic
"We are aware that the Montfort Bridge construction site means restrictions for many people in Feldkirch, but also for commuters," explains Mayor Rädler. "In view of the flooding events of recent months, I ask for your understanding for these unavoidable measures. A flood like the one in 1910, when the city center was up to 2.5 meters under water, would cause damage of over 70 million euros today."

All measures should be completed by the end of 2026. The total project costs amount to around 24 million euros. These costs are shared by the federal government, the state and the Ill-Walgau water board in a 40/40/20 ratio.

Detailed plans and updates on the traffic routes are available at www.feldkirch.at/montfortbrücke.