An Outdated Death Trap

“Something finally needs to be done here”

On Sunday, two drivers died again on the “death stretch”—the latest in a long line of fatalities.(Bild: Manfred Fesl)

Following Sunday’s horrific fatal accident, a citizens’ group is once again pushing for measures to make Altheimer Straße safer. Six people have already lost their lives on this stretch, which is less than four kilometers long. Spokesperson Manfred Rösner explains what these accidents look like and what makes this federal highway so dangerous.

What makes the notorious Altheimer Straße B 148 so dangerous? Just last Sunday evening, an overtaking maneuver claimed the lives of a Hungarian woman (57) and a Spanish man (56), while his wife (52), daughter (14), and son (11) were fighting for their lives—as reported by the “Krone.”

Extremely heavy traffic
They join the long list of fatalities and seriously injured people that this stretch of road has already claimed. “We have six to 6.5 million vehicles passing through here each year—that’s almost half as many as on the Brenner Highway,” says Manfred Rösner. He is the spokesperson for the citizens’ group “Lebensraum B 148” and lives right next to one of the most dangerous sections: “On the stretch of road here—which is not even four kilometers long—six people have already lost their lives,” says Rosner.

We have almost half as much traffic here as on the Brenner Highway. Six people have died on the stretch of road near us—which is less than four kilometers long—alone.

Manfred Rosner, Sprecher Lebensraum B 148

International Transit Route
The narrow and winding former state road runs partly between houses. It connects the Innkreis Autobahn (A 8)—along with its Bavarian counterpart, the equally accident-prone Federal Highway 12—to the German Federal Highway 94 to Munich.

Cyclists and Combine Harvesters
This makes the stretch—which is also used by cyclists and harvesters and must be crossed by residents in some places—an important route for international transit traffic. Residents have long been calling for a bypass: According to the current plan, it would run between Riedlham and Harterding, slightly north of the current route.

Waiting for a Draft
“Time is running out. We presented a draft to the state. All residents and landowners would have approved it, but it was rejected. Now we’re waiting for the state’s draft. We were told it would be presented in May or June,” said Rosner. He hopes that things will finally move forward, especially since the road is also heavily damaged. Because noise protection is also a major issue—but noise barriers aren’t built along federal highways—residents are hoping for a sunken road—that is, a road embedded in the ground.