City of Salzburg – protective measures on the Kapuzinerberg
The city mountains are part of the unified urban landscape of Salzburg. The spectacular steep slopes and rock faces have always posed a threat to the settlements, roads and infrastructure facilities below from mudslides and rockfalls. Most recently, a rockfall destroyed the reading room of the city archive in January 2021. To protect the settlement and economic area on the northern slope of the Kapuzinerberg, the torrent and avalanche control system has created the “Area Management Project Kapuzinerberg”. As part of the protective measures, the rockfall and debris protection nets on the north side of the Kapuzinerberg will be renewed and existing gaps will be closed. In addition, the existing protective forest will be strengthened. Trees that are in danger of falling are felled and the protection forest is converted into natural mixed stands that are less susceptible to windthrow. The forest areas on the flat ridge are not affected.
Start of construction of the project access route on August 22nd
The construction work for the implementation of the area management project will start on Monday, August 22, with the construction of the project access route. For this purpose, an existing access road on the east side of the Kapuzinerberg in the area of the Eberhard-Fugger-Straße will be expanded and thus also accessible for trucks. Access is required for the construction and maintenance of the rockfall and debris flow protection nets and for work on the protective forest. The work is expected to last three to four weeks, there may be brief disruptions for pedestrians and moving traffic.
In the following week, the trees are expected to be felled on the north side on the side lane along the Schallmooser Hauptstraße between Rockhouse and the SEAD dance center above the roadside. The areas will be closed in sections. Access to the individual objects remains possible. The work will take around three days.
Old trees, mainly deciduous, such as beech, oak and maple, which are already in danger of falling, are felled. This requires the use of a crane with a gripper arm. The resulting open spaces are required for the erection of the safety nets.
Helicopter flights from September 5th
The construction of the protective structures and the strengthening of the existing protective forest are carried out with the help of helicopters. The first helicopter mission will take place in the week of September 5th to 9th at the earliest. Trees on the northern slope of the Kapuzinerberg will be removed by helicopter over a period of two to three days. Roadblocks are not necessary for this. The Kapuzinerberg has to be partially closed during flight times. The work can only be carried out if the weather is suitable.
Residents: inside information
A newsletter will be set up to provide the best possible information about the progress of the project. Residents, owners and interested Salzburg residents can register at: [email protected]
“Area management project Kapuzinerberg”
Time schedule
2022-2026 Construction and expansion of the rockfall and debris flow protection nets
2022-2042 Forest biological measures to stabilize the protective forest
Costs
The total cost of the project is 4.5 million euros. 1.35 million euros (30%) will be contributed by the municipality of Salzburg. The remaining costs are managed by the federal and state governments.
The execution of the project – construction management and temporal processing – is carried out via the torrent and avalanche control.