In the municipality of Alberschwende, efforts have been made for decades to get rid of through traffic from the central and inhabited areas. An almost completely negotiated solution failed at the last minute around 40 years ago. With a tunnel project around four kilometers long, there is now a new attempt. The state government has already decided on a corridor, i.e. an area in which the road can run. This clears the way for further planning.
ORF Vorarlberg: Ms. Schwarzmann, the municipality of Alberschwende and the state are working on a huge project for the Alberschwende bypass. This is a tunnel solution with a length of almost four kilometers. It’s not a vision, but people are working hard and seriously on it?
Schwarzmann: Yes, we are working really hard and seriously on it. I admit it’s a long time coming, but we’ve never been as far as we are now. We now have two corridors – the corridor of the L200 and a second corridor. This is the state road from Buch, which ends directly at the village square. And we are very keen to be able to take further steps here.
ORF Vorarlberg: This is also a big project financially at around 260 million euros, so it is of a similar magnitude to the Feldkirch city tunnel. But you say that this is not just a project for Alberschwende, but also fulfills an important function, which one?
Schwarzmann: The L200 depends on the higher-ranking road network and is actually the feeder into the Bregenzerwald. The numbers show it: an average of 15,000 vehicles drive through the community towards the Bregenzerwald every day.
ORF Vorarlberg: A second major topic, not only in Alberschwende, is housing and building. We all know that prices have risen very sharply. What are the people who come to Alberschwende looking for? Are smaller units being planned or do you still have old images in your head?
Schwarzmann: There are many inquiries, but many want to buy a piece of land or a house in Alberschwende. Dense building is still not on the agenda. We have nonprofit housing communities that are well populated, but there isn’t a long waiting list.
ORF Vorarlberg: Let’s come to the topic of local supply and purchasing power. The exhibition park now wants to expand the sales areas by 4,000 square meters. What effects does this have on the Bregenzerwald?
Schwarzmann: I understand if the Bregenzerwald puts up a fight. It is important that our local centers do not bleed dry. The Hofer grocery chain came to Albeschwende about 15 years ago. This has not resulted in businesses leaving. We actually even got more influx because Hofer simply has a larger catchment area and a lot of people come here and then of course continue to shop in the village.