Resistance in the Gailtal: Citizens are calling for a stop of the Plöckentunnel!

Resistance in the Gailtal: Citizens are calling for a stop of the Plöckentunnel!

Plöckenpass, Italien - A growing resistance is formed against the planned plöckentunnel, the project to improve transport connections between Austria and Italy. On August 12, 2025, citizens' initiatives from the Upper Gailtal, Upper Drautal and East Tyrol and the Alpine Association section Obergail-Lesachtal were on the platform to object to reports from the tunnel lobby. These initiatives criticize the planned investments and warn of the associated disadvantages and ecological risks.

The local politicians are particularly concerned about the decision of State Councilor Cristina Amirante, who spoke out for a crap tunnel under the Plöckenpass without consulting technical expert groups. This caused irritation in Friuli-Julisch-Venetien across parties. Initiatives such as the Pro Gailtal citizens' initiative require a transparent and participatory process, the technical facts and the opinion of the communities.

financing questions and construction time

The attraction of the Plöckentunnel lies in the support of political decision -makers and the Italian industry that revive efforts from the 1960s to create a quick connection between Trieste and Munich. The initiators of the project expect high financial follows and warn that the tunnel construction would take at least ten years.

In addition to the concerns about an increase in transit traffic through the tunnel, the costs associated with such a project are significant. The crap tunnel is expected to cost around 530 million euros and requires a planning and construction time of 10 to 11 years. Previously, at a meeting on July 28, 2025, representatives of the economy and communities from Friuli-Venetien and Carinthia discussed the possibility of a four-kilometer-long sectional tunnel as a safe road connection and developed several variants that outline both tunnels and alternative street guides.

ecological concerns and alternatives in principle

The citizens' initiatives draw attention to the ecological risks of tunnel construction and warn of possible violations of alpine conference that could endanger the drinking water supply in the But-Tal. Maurizio Ponton has already pointed out that the tunnel bores could have serious effects on water resources. Alternative suggestions for a new pass road appear faster and more winter -proof in the implementation.

In addition, the critics of the tunnel project value a comprehensive discussion that also includes the opinion of the population and the technical experts. The Citizens' Initiative Pro Gailtal primarily calls for clear and understandable communication in order to clarify the population about the advantages and disadvantages of the project in detail. The commitment to more environmentally friendly traffic planning is not only on Austrian, but also on the Italian side-35 municipalities have already expressed their support for the crown tunnel solution, which underlines the need for an open discussion.

A transparent and sustainable traffic planning is also important to the initiatives in Germany, which are against the expansion of highways and roads. Examples such as the "B12 expansion - not like that!" And many other companies are working to raise awareness of citizens to the topics of environmental and traffic transfers and to show alternatives. These initiatives could serve as an example of the arguments in the region around the Plöckentunnel and clarify that cooperation beyond the borders is necessary to find sustainable solutions.

The topic of the Plöckentunnel and the associated initiatives will surely be the focus of the public discussion in the coming months, while citizens' initiatives and political decision -makers are looking for ways to meet the challenges of transport connections in the Alpine areas.

For further information on the background and current developments on these topics, the reports stand on dolomitenstadt , osttirol-heute.at and Appointment.