Küchelberg/Monte Benedetto Tunnel, Meran, South Tirol

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c2R
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Küchelberg/Monte Benedetto Tunnel, Meran, South Tirol

Post by c2R »

This is an interesting and impressive engineering project, given the terrain; the provision of a tunnel to bypass Meran/Merano.

A 935m long first phase between the motorway and the railway station opened in 2013, including an impressive looking semi-underground roundabout, and a further 1855m started construction in 2021, anticipated to open in 2026

https://structurae.net/en/structures/mo ... tto-tunnel
https://web.archive.org/web/20240517084 ... tto-tunnel
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Re: Küchelberg/Monte Benedetto Tunnel, Meran, South Tirol

Post by Owain »

c2R wrote: Fri May 17, 2024 09:49 This is an interesting and impressive engineering project, given the terrain; the provision of a tunnel to bypass Meran/Merano.

A 935m long first phase between the motorway and the railway station opened in 2013, including an impressive looking semi-underground roundabout, and a further 1855m started construction in 2021, anticipated to open in 2026

https://structurae.net/en/structures/mo ... tto-tunnel
https://web.archive.org/web/20240517084 ... tto-tunnel
This is presumably for the SS44, which is one of those numbers that the Fascist regime 'wasted' on an apparently insignificant road that appears to serve little purpose other than to access the San Leonardo ski resort. When it gets up into the mountains, most of it is S1W!

That begs the question as to how much traffic would be passing through Merano; if you're coming from either the north or the south, you'd be more likely to use the A12 and exit at Vipiteno.

It shows how much the Italians are willing to invest in infrastructure, even where the benefits will be relatively minor. In the UK even a major junction like this would probably get a dumbbell!

If you like underground junctions that aren't even new, check this out! I remember that from my first-ever trip to Italy in 1995, and I got to drive through it myself in 2009.
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Re: Küchelberg/Monte Benedetto Tunnel, Meran, South Tirol

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Owain wrote: Sat May 18, 2024 07:41 It shows how much the Italians are willing to invest in infrastructure, even where the benefits will be relatively minor...
Probably that pesky European Regional Development Fund investing to reduce inequalities...
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Re: Küchelberg/Monte Benedetto Tunnel, Meran, South Tirol

Post by Chris5156 »

Took me a minute to find it, but the underground roundabout next to the railway station is here - this view shows the entrance to the next section of tunnel, still under construction.

I was slightly surprised to see bilingual road signs with German first!
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Re: Küchelberg/Monte Benedetto Tunnel, Meran, South Tirol

Post by ForestChav »

Chris5156 wrote: Sat May 18, 2024 21:02 Took me a minute to find it, but the underground roundabout next to the railway station is here - this view shows the entrance to the next section of tunnel, still under construction.

I was slightly surprised to see bilingual road signs with German first!
Most of that part of Italy was part of Austria before the end of WWI and was given to Italy in the resulting peace settlements.

The Italian tennis players Andreas Seppi and Jannik Sinner are from the area and speak German as well as Italian, Sinner was a skiier as a kid before turning full time to playing tennis at 13.
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Re: Küchelberg/Monte Benedetto Tunnel, Meran, South Tirol

Post by Owain »

Chris5156 wrote: Sat May 18, 2024 21:02Took me a minute to find it, but the underground roundabout next to the railway station is here - this view shows the entrance to the next section of tunnel, still under construction.
It's effectively an urban GSJ, isn't it? That's presumably envisaged to provide easy access to the railway station from underground bypass... those clever Italians.

Chris5156 wrote: Sat May 18, 2024 21:02I was slightly surprised to see bilingual road signs with German first!
That's outrageous ... I'm crossing it off my list of places to go!!! :furious:

This is annoying, because Merano is represented in one of the dozen Art Deco tourism posters I have lining my stairwell. It's famous for horse-racing, apparently. :|

Merano.jpg

ForestChav wrote: Sat May 18, 2024 21:36Most of that part of Italy was part of Austria before the end of WWI and was given to Italy in the resulting peace settlements.
The Austro-Italian border actually cut across Lake Garda. It used to be here! Appropriately enough, that's a war memorial next to the road.

ForestChav wrote: Sat May 18, 2024 21:36The Italian tennis players Andreas Seppi and Jannik Sinner are from the area and speak German as well as Italian, Sinner was a skiier as a kid before turning full time to playing tennis at 13.
Quite a few of their skiers come from Alto Adige too, and as a result often have long Austrian surnames.
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