Axenstrasse
Axenstrasse | |
|---|---|
| Location | Brunnen—Flüelen |
| Formed | 1865 |
The Axenstrasse is an 11.4 km (7.1 mi) segment of the A4 motorway and European route E41 between the resort of Brunnen in the Canton of Schwyz, to the municipality of Flüelen in the Canton of Uri in Central Switzerland. The road is built along steep cliffs on the east side of Lake Lucerne, weaving through many rock fall galleries and tunnels along its route. Upon completion in 1865, the Axenstrasse was the first way to get to Uri that did not involve navigating Lake Lucerne.[1]
History
The route between the Axen Mountain and Flüelen existed in 1776 as the Landstrasse (country road). Construction on a new road to connect Flüelen to Brunnen began in 1861, and was completed in 1865. It was named the Axenstrasse because the road is located along the Axen Mountain.[2] The route, especially in the part south of Sisikon, involves many open passages with rock galleries and numerous openings in the west tunnel walls viewing Lake Lucerne as a result of the tunnel blasting through the calcareous rock.[3][4] The road cost 842,000 francs, half of which was paid for by the federal government of Switzerland.[1]
Between 1937 and 1939, the Axenstrasse was altered to suit modern traffic in lieu of horse drawn carriages, and a lane in each direction for road traffic was paved. Many sections of the Axenstrasse were also closed to automotive traffic to serve as hiking trails.[3] The Axenstrasse would again have to be renovated between 1975 and 1990.[1]
Route
Today, the Axenstrasse carries the A4 motorway and European route E41 in a north-south direction. Between Brunnen and Flüelen, there are no major junctions, although about halfway through, just south of the border between the cantons of Uri and Schwyz, there is one small establishment, Sisikon. At the northern end of the route, there is a connection to the Klausen Pass road, and at the southern end there is a connection to the A2 motorway and European route E35 near the Sonnenberg Tunnel.
For all of its length, the Axenstrasse parallels the Gotthard railway, a part of the Swiss Federal Railways.
References
- ^ a b c "Die Axenstrasse Zwischen Brunnen und Flüelen". A4 Neue Axenstrasse: Kantone Schwyz Und Uri (in German). Baumann, Fryberg, Tarelli. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ^ "Axenstrasse". RouteYou. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ a b "Axenstrasse". DangerousRoads.org. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ "Geologie". A4 Neue Axenstrasse: Kantone Schwyz Und Uri (in German). Baumann, Fryberg, Tarelli. Retrieved 4 February 2014.