Silvretta Hochalpenstrasse will remain closed until 2030

Many motorcyclists love the 34 hairpin turns of the Silvretta High Alpine Road. In any case, the 22.3 km long road through the mountains is on the bucket list of many of them. The impressive mountain landscape with views of Piz Buin, at 3,312 meters the highest mountain in Vorarlberg, captures the imagination and makes this winding ride unforgettable.

Falling rocks and mud

In the summer of 2024, the popular mountain pass road became blocked by falling rocks and mudslides. For safety reasons, it was closed to public traffic. After another incident in July 2025, it was decided not to open the road in the 2025 summer season as well.

Diversion and protective structures

There is now a plan of action to substantially protect the Silvretta High Alpine Road over the next few years. This will require rerouting the road and constructing protective structures at several locations. According to the schedule, after three construction seasons from 2027 to 2029, the Silvretta Hochalpenstraße will reopen to public traffic in the summer of 2030.

Mountain pass road between Vorarlberg and Tyrol

The Silvretta Hochalpstrasse lies between the Austrian states of Vorarlberg and Tyrol. It connects the towns of Partenen in Montafon and Galtür. Its highest point is at 2,032 meters above sea level, the Bielerhöhe.

Historic Route

Construction of the Alpine link began as early as 1938 during the construction of the Obervermuntwerk and Silvretta reservoir: as a construction road between Vermuntsee and Bielerhöhe. From 1947, Illwerke continued the expansion towards the upper Ill River, including bridge connections from Paznaun. For the extensive construction traffic, the historic cattle route from the Bielerhöhe via Kleinvermunt to Galtür was expanded into a work road: thus the foundations were laid for the eastern slope to Tyrol.

The most difficult part of the route between Partenen and Vermunt was still missing until 1951. This spectacular road was built in reverse using a huge excavator used to build reservoirs, right through the steep landscape.

This created a through road from Partenen to Galtür, which was opened to public traffic on June 23, 1954. In 1961, the road was widened to a two-lane road.