Salzach redesign: flood protection and cycle paths in focus

Salzach redesign: flood protection and cycle paths in focus

The transformation of the Salzach is getting closer: A new water association has been launched to revitalize the river landscape between Puch-Urstein in Tennengau and the city of Salzburg. This ambitious project has a volume of 45 million euros and pursues several goals: to improve flood protection, to reclaim natural areas and at the same time to create attractive meeting areas. The riverside cycle paths also benefit from the planned measures.

The city of Salzburg works closely with the communities of Anif and Elsbethen. Together they want to ensure that the project not only makes ecological sense, but is also financially viable. The federal government covers 80 percent of the costs, while the remaining expenses are distributed among the members of the water association. Robert Loizl, head of the hydraulic engineering department in the state government, emphasizes that the city of Salzburg will be the main beneficiary and will meet the financial challenges.

Flood protection and ecological improvements

Loizl emphasizes the importance of flood protection: In the event of a flood, around 1,600 properties, including single-family homes and apartment buildings, could be at risk. “It will be a huge loss if it gets out of hand,” he explains. Especially in the city, you can't do much ecologically; Nevertheless, the planned widening of the river in Anif and Elsbethen will enable the banks to be relieved and thus provide greater protection.

The mayor of Salzburg, Bernhard Auinger (SPÖ), is optimistic about the improvements for cyclists: “There will be cycle highways in the truest sense of the word.” According to the company, these should be funded separately. The cycle path budget has already been doubled, which should make it easier to create comfortable cycle paths between Hallein and the city of Salzburg.

Support in Anif and planning steps

However, the mayor of Anif, Gabriella Gehmacher-Leitner (list KRÜ), is cautious. She calls for transparency in the planning phase of the renaturation of the river. “From a current perspective, we can’t decide anything because we don’t know enough about the measures,” says Gehmacher-Leitner. The lack of clarity about costs and community involvement is a key issue that needs to be addressed in future planning. A detailed elaboration of the plans should take place after the water association is founded, with initial construction work that could not start until 2026 at the earliest.

The project promises a variety of benefits for the region, both improving flood protection and creating an attractive landscape suitable for recreation and cycling. Further development and planning details are expected in the near future, increasing anticipation of this significant undertaking in the region.

For specific information and current developments on this topic, see the report on salzburg.orf.at.