An important road connection between Italy and Austria, the Plöckenpass, is now reopening to traffic. The mountain pass provides a link between Carinthia in Austria and Italy’s Friuli region.
However, the reopened route will only be accessible for vehicles weighing 3.5tonnes or less. The route was closed due to a major rockfall in late 2023.
Reopening the road has cost more than €30 million. But concerns remain over some of the slopes along the route, which have proven challenging to stabilise fully. The possibility of future large rockfalls mean that the historic mountain pass, which dates back more than 2,000 years, might be closed permanently.
A new tunnel connection is now being considered. But this is expected to cost €530 million to build and require a construction period of 36 months.
