BBT TUNNELWELTEN CIRCULAR HIKING TRAIL PADASTERTAL GALLERIA DI BASE DEL BRENNERO - BRENNER BASISTUNNEL
The Padastertal landfill site Europe’s largest landfill site, the Padastertal disposal site, is located at the opening of the Padastertal, a valley branching off from the Wipp valley in Tyrol, near Steinach am Brenner. With a total capacity of approx. 7.5 million m³, this area will be filled with most of the excavated spoil from the Brenner Base Tunnel on Austrian territory. Spoil from the excavation of construction lots H52, H53 and H41 will be deposited here in the Padaster valley, over a length of approx. 1.4 km. The transport of the excavated tunnel material from the underground drifts to the Padastertal disposal site takes place via a conveyor belt system with four spreaders, also known as “drop towers”, which had already been constructed. Numerous flood protection works were implemented to protect the village of Siegreith, which lies slightly below the landfill area, and to ensure that landfill operations are as uninterrupted as possible. Among other things, various debris barriers, driftwood -catching grills for flood protection and a special diversion tunnel for the Padaster brook, which will also take over the function
CIRCULAR HIKING TRAIL PADASTERTAL of flood spillway after completion of the landfill. Debris barriers are catchment structures for solid materials such as rock, soil, trees, etc., which can be carried along by a flowing watercourse during floods. After extensive renaturation measures, the valley floor in the area of the landfill will be around 80 m higher. The originally densely forested, narrow V-shaped valley will be wider and usable for forest and pasture.
This isn’t your everyday walking path. The path around the disposal site itself makes for a varied and interesting walk. Enjoy the natural beauty of the Padaster valley and observe the construction works and the loads of spoil being moved on enclosed conveyor belts on the valley floor. On themed panels along the circular route you can learn interesting facts about the Brenner Base Tunnel project, for example about the diversion of the Padasterbach stream during the construction work or the water protection measures in the BBT project. The circular trail leads alternately along forest paths and narrower trails along woods and meadows, as well as through a 470 m long tunnel through which drinking water flows; the lighting in the tunnel switches on automatically when you walk through it. The steel stairs and viewing platforms specially built to make the circular route accessible are a fun part of the experience. Look out to the west for the prominent mountain known as “Habicht”! Circular walking path in the Padaster valley
Jakobsweg Tunnel Information boards along the trail Stairs to the scenic viewing point and platform Scenic viewing point over the disposal site Starting point Pilgrimage route Parking lot St. Wendelin’s chapel Viewing point over construction site Walking time: 2 hours / Length: 5,4 km / Altitude difference: 300 CIRCULAR HIKING TRAIL PADASTERTAL The trail is closed each year with the onset of winter and reopened in spring. Due to the route, it is not suitable for prams and wheelchairs. Surefootedness is required on the west side of the trail. We recommend wearing heavy shoes.
Description of the walking circuit The starting point of the hike is the small Padastertal car park near St. Wendelin’s chapel. Start your walk along the forest and meadow paths of the “Wasserleitungsweg” on the sunny side (north side) of the Padastertal valley to the portal of the refreshingly cool, 470 m long, illuminated drinking water tunnel and walk through it. Immediately after the exit, you cross the Padasterbach stream. Continue along a forest path, which after a while turns into a narrower meadow path. And now for another special section of the circular trail, up the 105 steps of the steel lattice staircase attached to a rock face, which leads to a viewing platform with an impressive panorama. The trail now descends via a narrow forest path in somewhat steeper, wooded terrain, only to ascend again via another, shorter staircase followed by a 32 m long steel bridge. Steinach am Brenner Siegreith Saxen Wendelinka Deponie P Abbiegung links Richtung Rotes Kreuz Polizei BBT Infocenter Tunnel World Padastertal disposal area Panoramic walking trail Wolf construction site St. Wendelin’s chapel Turn left in the direction of “Rotes Kreuz - Polizei”
The rest of the trail leads along forest paths and narrower trails back to the valley entrance. Finally, you reach the starting point, the car park at the chapel of St. Wendelin. Those who prefer to tackle that many stairs downhill rather than uphill can of course also walk the circular trail “the other way round”.
How to reach the walking circuit ARRIVAL BY BUS ORTRAIN The hiking trail is about 15 minutes on foot (1 km) from Steinach railway station, walking from the platform to the pedestrian underpass and then along the path next to the railway (i.e. to the left of it) southwards to the locality of Siegreith. Then follow the path in the direction of the Padastertal car park. From the Tunnelwelten car park, bear left over the bridge towards the centre of Steinach am Brenner until you reach the junction with the Brenner Bundesstraße B182 and make a sharp right onto it. After 900 m turn left onto “Harland” in the direction of “Polizei/ Rettung” (see photo of the intersection), drive through the underpass and then turn right at the first opportunity onto Padasterweg. Follow this until the next fork in the road. Turn left and then left again at the next fork. Follow the road, which will slope slightly upwards to the small Padaster valley parking lot. From there, it is just a few steps to both the chapel of St. Wendelin and the starting point of the circular hiking trail. ARRIVAL BY CAR
CIRCULAR HIKING TRAIL PADASTERTAL
St. Wendelin’s chapel During the works on the BBT, a chapel was built at the southern entrance of the Padaster valley as a compensation measure. Originally, a small chapel dating back to the 19th century had been located further within the valley, dedicated to St. Wendelin, patron saint of shepherds and cowherds, farmers, fields and meadows. Since the chapel was not a protected monument, BBT SE built a new house of worship directly on the local pilgrimage route. Here, for the first time, spoil from the tunnel excavation was used for the stone and concrete mixture in which the stone is visible. Based on the Roman construction technique known as “opus cementitium”, Bündner schist rock was mixed with self-compacting concrete. The spoil removed from the BBT was used for the construction of the chapel
A very special little jewel enriches the project area
BRENNER BASISTUNNEL BBT SE Amraser Straße 8 A-6020 Innsbruck T. + 43 512 4030 F. + 43 512 4030 110 bbt@bbt-se.com www.bbt-se.com GALLERIA DI BASE DEL BRENNERO Piazza Stazione, 1 I-39100 Bolzano T. + 39 0471 0622 10 F. + 39 0471 0622 11 bbt@bbt-se.com www.bbt-se.com www.bbt-se.com Infopoints Free admission BBT Tunnelwelten Steinach am Brenner Alfons-Graber-Weg 1 A-6150 Steinach www.tunnelwelten.com Constantly updated information on the Brenner Base Tunnel project Registration for tours, tender procedures for construction work and services. Infopoint Fortezza The Observatory for the Environment and Workplace Safety Fortress Fortezza Via Brennero / Brennerstraße I-39045 Fortezza Tue - Sun: 10 am - 6 pm (May - October) Sun: 10 am - 4 pm (November - April) www.bbtinfo.eu/infopoint T.+39 0472 057200 Exhibition Innsbruck Central Station 6 am - 10 pm www.tunnelwelten.com Cofinanziato dal meccanismo per collegare l'Europa dell'Unione europea Kofinanziert von der Fazilität „Connecting Europe“ der Europäischen Union Edition 2023
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