Smallest Vögele paver right at the top

View from the mountain station down into the valley: The MINI 500 in the foreground, mountains, a lake and blue sky with white clouds in the background.

Pavement rehabilitation at an altitude of 2,300 metres

Spectacular asphalt paving on Swiss tourist mountain

Not a run-of-the-mill assignment: In order to build a footpath and travel route at the summit of the Niesen, the construction company had to transport the Vögele MINI 500 paver to the mountain station by funicular railway and then load it by helicopter.

Due to its striking shape, the 2,362-metre-high Niesen in the Bernese Oberland is also known as the “Pyramid of the Alps”. In order to prepare this popular destination south of Lake Thun for the summer season, the path between the mountain station and the mountain restaurant had to be refurbished. The 170-metre-long route is used for transporting food and drinks and is used by around 1,000 people every day during peak season.

Tricky assignment

As the summit of the Niesen can only be reached by funicular railway or helicopter, construction site logistics posed a major challenge. Due to the high quality requirements, the surface course should be laid by machine in a width of 1.8 to 4.3 metres. In addition, weather conditions were very difficult due to the altitude and exposed location. Due to the low temperatures, the paving team was only able to lay the asphalt during the day within a narrow time window.

MINI 500 in action on a narrow pavement, snow on both sides, several workers checking the results.

Paving on Switzerland’s Niesen: difficult conditions with snow, wind and cold.

MINI 500 with operator paving the surface course, workers on the right and left, mountain hut in the background, grey weather

The executing construction company used the MINI 500 to pave the new surface course efficiently and to a high standard.

Paver transport by cable car

To pave the new surface course efficiently and to a high standard, the executing construction company, Marti AG Bern, opted for the MINI 500 from Vögele. The manufacturer’s smallest road paver model is ideal for applications where narrow pave widths, compact dimensions, low weight and high paving quality are essential: With a travel length of 2.6 metres, a width of 0.9 metres and a weight of 1.4 tonnes, the construction site team was able to transport the paver to the mountain station using the Niesen railway. The Niesenbahn is one of the longest funicular railways in the world and climbs at a gradient of up to 68% to reach the mountain station. “The assignment was spectacular even before the actual paving. Transporting a road paver by cable car is not something we do every day either,” says paving foreman Iwan Hachen. “The MINI 500 is extremely compact and was extremely practical in view of the requirements of this project.”

Unusual transport: The smallest Vögele paver was transported to the site at the mountain station using the Niesen railway, one of the longest funicular railways in the world.

“The assignment was spectacular even before the actual paving. Transporting a road paver by cable car is not something we do every day either. The MINI 500 is extremely compact and was extremely practical in view of the requirements of this project.”

Paving foreman Iwan Hachen, Marti AG Bern

Delivery by helicopter

A further challenge was the delivery of materials: the construction company used a helicopter to transport the hot asphalt to the paver as quickly as possible. It took the material 700 metres below the construction site from the thermal trucks and transferred it directly into the receiving hopper of the MINI 500 at intervals of just under four minutes.

Equipped with the AB 135 extending screed including bolt-on extensions, the Vögele paver laid the 4 cm thick surface course in a width of 1.8 metres – partly in several strips. The tightly scheduled material transfer ensured a consistent paving process. This enabled the construction team to complete the resurfacing work, including the installation of the hard shoulders, within just two days.

Spectacular delivery:

To ensure a constant supply of material for the MINI 500, a helicopter delivered material every four minutes.

Direct transfer:

The helicopter transferred the material directly into the receiving hopper of the Vögele paver.

Asphalt paving with breathtaking views:

The 170-metre-long path from the mountain station to the mountain restaurant runs directly along the slope of the Niesen.

Precision work:

Equipped with the AB 135 extending screed including bolt-on extensions, the Vögele paver laid the 4 cm thick surface course in a width of 1.8 metres.

Successful pavement rehabilitation:

After two days of paving, Marti Bern AG was able to complete the installation of the surface course, including the hard shoulder.

Helicopter with material box flies over mountain peaks, sunny day
Three workers position the helicopter’s material container over the paver’s receiving hopper.
View from above of the construction site, with several workers on the pavement and the MINI 500 in the centre.
Paving situation, two workers operating the MINI 500, a rock face on the left, a man with a measuring rod on the right.
View of the finished walkway, benches, panoramic view

For details and more information, go to our product pages.

Composing Vögele road pavers

Mini Class

Press/media kit

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