Opening of the new Josef Dreier Bridge

Updated on 18.03.2022

The connection in Weißenbach has been fully restored, to be more precise between the banks of the Weißenbach below the roundabout in the direction of the Lech. The historic bridge in Weißenbach, named after Josef Dreier, the former mayor in the 1970s, was closed and removed in spring 2021 due to its poor condition. in 1982, it was built by the pioneers of the Austrian Armed Forces and extended with a wooden roof in the course of renovation in 1995

A renewal of the historic bridge was not a matter of course, as there were considerations to relocate the popular cycle path and the cross-country ski trail connection and to demolish the bridge without replacement due to inflation and tight budgets.

Thanks to the united approach of the municipality of Weißenbach with the mayor Hans Dreier, son of Josef Dreier, in office until 15.03.2022, and the tourism association Naturparkregion Reutte (TVB), the new bridge could be realised thanks to a high funding quota. "It was a special concern of ours to create a really beautiful connection across the Weißenbach that would fit into the landscape; a minimal variant as a "trough bridge" was therefore out of the question for us and would not have done justice to Josef Dreier, who was already very close to nature at the time," says Ronald Petrini, Managing Director of the TVB Naturparkregion Reutte.

The reconstruction of the old Josef Dreier Bridge was just as spectacular as its demolition. On 22 February, the new bridge, a 20-metre long roofed truss construction, was delivered and assembled by the company Holzbau Saurer.

The main beneficiaries of the opening of the new bridge are around 60,000 cyclists who travelled along the Lech Cycle Path in 2021 alone. It was particularly important to the chairman of the TVB Naturparkregion Reutte, Hermann Ruepp, that a flawless cross-country ski trail preparation is also ensured in the future with appropriate equipment.

In addition to Anton Oberauer (building contractor), Christian Saurer (Holzbau Saurer), DI Paul Nessler as structural engineer is behind the project on the side of the contractors in the region. DI Wolfgang Haas, as head of the Reutte construction district office, is responsible for the cycle path infrastructure and thus an important link to the funding office of the Road and Transport Department of the Province of Tyrol, without which such a smooth implementation would not have been possible. Hans Dreier thanks all those involved for their great support and is pleased about the continuation of a generational project.

The costs of the new Josef Dreier Bridge amount to about 220,000 euros, of which about 70% are financed by subsidies from the Province of Tyrol. The remaining 30% is shared by the TVB Naturparkregion Reutte and the municipality of Weißenbach. With the reopening, the bridging has been completed and the new Josef Dreier Bridge stands for successful regional cooperation, as it did in the past. Due to the functional integration of pipes, water transport across the stream is now also possible.