The magic of tunnel-building

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to refer to this as the ‘secret capital of tunnel construction’, because when you drive past Kauerndorf on the B 289, our construction site is impossible to miss. Site huts are lined up one after the other, and the next milestones won’t be long incoming💪.

The following tasks are on the agenda for our project team at the Kauerndorf Tunnel over the next four weeks:

• Excavation and stabilisation of the foundation pit for the operations building
• Construction of the floor slab for the workshop hall, followed by its assembly
• Laying of water supply and drainage systems
• Asphalt works for the site office areas, including setting up the site office
• Erection of the concrete batching plant

Our project team is doing everything it can to ensure that the tunnel-breaking ceremony can take place before the end of this year – one of the exciting rituals from the world of tunnel construction. Shortly afterwards, or almost simultaneously, the next ritual is already in the starting blocks: the Barbara Festival. This is celebrated every year on 4 December in the tunnelling industry in honour of Saint Barbara, the patron saint of miners. It serves as a commemoration, an expression of gratitude for an accident-free year, and a plea for protection in the coming year🍀. This traditional custom stems from the legend that Barbara found refuge in a crevice whilst fleeing from her father, which establishes the link to mining . The first Barbara Festivals were celebrated as early as the 18th century.

However, there are also numerous customs associated with St Barbara’s Day outside the mining industry. In this country, it is a widespread custom to cut branches from fruit trees on this day – for example, from a cherry tree – and then place them in a vase of water. If these branches bloom by Christmas, this is seen as a good omen for the coming year🌼.

With the current late-summer temperatures, it’s still hard to think about Christmas, but the magic of tunnel-building has definitely reached us already . We wish everyone involved in the project every success and an accident-free construction period. Good luck⚒️!