New road for Germany’s highest castle ruins

At 1,277 m, Pfronten in the Allgäu region is home to the highest castle ruins in Germany. A private road leads to it, which is also the lifeline for the Blaue Burg boutique hotel with its gourmet restaurant. The asphalt surface of the narrow hairpin bend was in urgent need of renovation. Hotelier and star chef Simon Schlachter relied on Josef Böck GmbH from Nesselwang, which specialises in asphalt paving and particularly demanding projects, to carry out the work professionally. Also involved is the brand-new Vögele SUPER 1800-5 X road paver with the AB 500 TP1 extending screed.

The tension among Managing Director Sascha Böck and his team during preparations for the brand-new road paver is literally in the air. He had already meticulously planned the operation with lorry test drives up and down the serpentine, backwards through the hairpin bends. You could feel how important today’s task was to him. Paver operator Tatjana Drexler and foreman Martin Köberle were quickly familiar with the new machine and the first metres of asphalt paving started from the hotel car park at 1,277 m. Contractor Sascha Böck personally lent a hand with the paving screed.

Construction site with many challenges

The road, which is just over 2 km long, is only up to 3 m wide in sections. “The construction site here has a lot of refinements. We are dealing with a steep gradient and very tight bends at the same time, which is a challenge for paving and logistics,” Böck describes the construction site situation. Due to the hairpin bends, only three-axle lorries can be used to deliver the mix. In addition, there are only limited passing places on the route to be negotiated and the lorries have to reverse along the serpentine for long stretches. It is also not easy to stand lightly on the brakes when idling, even on sloping terrain. The paving team is also very busy. On one side the mountain, on the other the steep slope. Here, the paver has to be steered precisely to avoid hitting anything on the narrow road. “This works very well with the new Dash 5 paver. Thanks to the perfect overview, sensitive steering via SmartWheel and precise screed width adjustment, high-quality paving is possible even in these demanding bends. The paver holds the track perfectly and we get an even paving pattern, which is not a matter of course with the existing poor stock and varying layer thicknesses. The screed’s pressure bar is very helpful in achieving high pre-compaction,” comments Sascha Böck after the first 500 m of asphalt paving with the new paver.

Technical and visual development

Full of enthusiasm, Tatjana Drexler steers the 20 t heavy SUPER 1800-5 X along the steep walls and the precipitous slope. “Until 5 years I was still working in catering at a ski hut. I would never have thought it possible that I would one day be driving road pavers. Today it’s my dream job,” she says, describing her career choice. She has only ever driven Vögele pavers and would not want to change. “Why should I, when I’m already travelling with the best machine anyway,” she admits with a smile. She loves controlling large machines safely, even in difficult conditions, while always keeping an eye on her colleagues on the screed. The ErgoPlus 5 enhanced operating concept is helpful here. “You have to get used to one or two new features, but because the operating logic is very similar to the previous model, I found my way around the new paver straight away. Operation is even simpler and clearer, the SmartWheel enables very precise steering and the new touch display offers many additional options. I also really like the new, modern design. Both technically and visually, you can see that the machine has been significantly further developed.”

Trust in man and machine

Company founder Josef Böck takes the opportunity to visit the construction site in person and take a look at the new paver and the progress of the work. He used to lay the asphalt by hand and is also proud of the fleet of machines at Wirtgen Group. His son Sascha particularly appreciates the speed of innovation with which the Wirtgen Group machines are improved and adapted to practical requirements. Even more important to him are the services and personal support provided by the services and sales company of the Wirtgen Group.

“My contact person at Wirtgen Group is always available. I consult with him, we also have discussions and he is happy to listen to my suggestions from the field. I can’t imagine working together any better and that’s why I don't have any other road construction machines in my yard. Further developments, innovations and improvements are implemented quickly," says Sascha Böck. He also sees great advantages in the increasing digitalisation of machines. Whether it is recording the installation temperature or providing other relevant data for the documentation, the new solutions make his day-to-day work much easier.