Overview
- The Tyrolean Umweltschutzabteilung issued the nature‑conservation permit on Thursday, opening a four‑week appeal period that has suspensive effect and attaching strict mitigation requirements such as reforestation, new amphibian habitats and ecological construction supervision.
- The approved plan covers a 1.4‑kilometre Scheiteltunnel built with three lanes—two uphill toward Reutte and one downhill to Nassereith—and a driveable rescue gallery, with authorities projecting a 2027 start and roughly two years for construction if further permits and courts do not delay it.
- Planners intend to make the Fernpass route tolled when the tunnel opens, with a proposed tariff of €14 per one‑way trip and a €140 annual pass and two planned toll stations at Blindsee and Nassereith, though final rates and resident discounts must follow EU rules and are not yet fixed.
- Local citizen initiatives have staged previous demonstrations and confirmed a planned blockade on August 1, and opponents have signaled likely administrative appeals or lawsuits arguing the project was segmented to avoid a full environmental‑impact assessment.
- Officials frame the tunnel as part of a roughly €500–600 million package to cut winter closures and reduce steep gradients on a corridor carrying up to about 30,000 vehicles daily, while critics warn tolls could hurt commuters and tourism and push traffic onto alternative routes, creating new congestion elsewhere.