S10 Expressway and Götschka Tunnel open at the End of December

The S10 expressway in the north of Upper Austria will become part of the trans-European transport network and provide better connection between the Freistadt area and the metropolitan area of Linz and the Czech Republic. The project with 680 million euros construction cost is divided into four construction sections, of which section 2 includes the 4440 m long Götschka Tunnel. This future key structure on the S10 was constructed by applying the shotcrete method. The west tunnel has two and the east tunnel has three lanes. The tunnels are spaced at 45 m between centrelines and have cross passages every 250 m. A synthetic membrane waterproofing layer was installed on the outer support layer of reinforced shotcrete and rock bolts, followed by an inner lining of unreinforced in-situ concrete. In zones with more stringent fire protection requirements, fibre concrete was used. For ventilation, intermediate slabs with extract dampers were installed at a spacing of 110 m. After the start of construction in 2011, ASFINAG schedules the completion of the overall project and opening for traffic for the end of December 2015. G.B.