Gleinalm Tunnel

The Gleinalm Tunnel is a highway tunnel in the Austrian province of Styria. It runs for 8.32 kilometres along the Pyhrn Autobahn, linking the Leoben district with Graz-Umgebung. The tunnel was opened in 1978 as a faster route from Graz to the Murau and Murtal districts, cutting travel time by about twenty minutes. It originally had a single tube carrying traffic in both directions. A speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour applies inside the tunnel. A second tube was constructed to improve safety and capacity. Work began in September 2013 and cost around 299 million euros. The new tube opened in July 2017 while the old one remained in service until September that year. Both tubes were then closed briefly for renovation before reopening together in 2019. Visitors driving through the tunnel pass under the Gleinalpe range in central Styria. The surrounding countryside is marked by rolling hills and forested slopes. The tunnel’s two parallel tubes now allow smoother traffic flow between northern and southern Styria.