New road for Germany’s highest castle ruins.

In Pfronten in the Allgäu region lies Germany’s highest castle ruins at 1,277 meters. The private road that leads to it is the lifeline for the gourmet restaurant “Blaue Burg” situated within the boutique hotel. Having aged over the years, the asphalt surface of the narrow winding road was in urgent need of repair. For the professional execution, hotelier and Michelin-starred chef Simon Schlachter relied on Josef Böck GmbH from Nesselwang, a company specialising in asphalt paving and particularly demanding projects. Also on site: the brand-new Vögele paver SUPER 1800-5 X with the AB 500 TP1 extending screed.

The tension among Managing Director Sascha Böck and his team is almost palpable as they prepare the brand-new paver. He had meticulously planned the operation in advance, conducting test drives with trucks up and down the winding road—even reversing through the hairpin bends. You could feel how important today’s task was to him. Paver operator Tatjana Drexler and foreman Martin Köberle quickly became familiar with the new machine, and from the hotel parking lot at an elevation of 1,277 meters, the first meters of asphalt paving began. Company owner Sascha Böck personally lent a hand at the screed.

Construction site with lots of challenges.

The road, which is slightly longer than 2 kilometers is only about 3 meters wide in sections. “This construction site has a lot of intricacies. We’re dealing with steep gradients and extremely tight curves at the same time—this is a challenge for both paving and logistics,” Böck explains, describing the situation on site. Because of the hairpin bends, only three-axle trucks can be used to deliver the asphalt mix. In addition, there are only limited passing points along the route, and the trucks have to drive in reverse through long stretches of the winding road. Even the loading process itself is tricky—on a downhill slope, it takes careful braking to keep the machine steady in neutral. The paving crew is also pushed to their limits. On one side, the mountain; on the other, a steep drop. Here, the paver must be steered with precision to avoid scraping against anything on the narrow road. “That works very well with the new Dash-5 paver. Thanks to the excellent visibility, the responsive steering via SmartWheel, and the precise screed width adjustment, high-quality paving is possible even in these demanding curves. The paver stays perfectly on track, producing a uniform paving pattern—no small feat given the poor existing surface and varying layer thicknesses. The screed’s pressure bar is very helpful for achieving high pre-compaction,” notes Sascha Böck after the first 500 meters of asphalt paving with the new paver.

Technical and visual advancement

With full enthusiasm, Tatjana Drexler maneuvers the over 20-ton SUPER 1800-5 X paver along the steep walls and the sheer drop beside the road. “I was still working in hospitality on a ski lodge just five years ago. I never would have imagined that one day I’d be operating a road paver. Today, it’s my dream job,” she says, describing her career choice. She has only ever operated Vögele road pavers—and wouldn’t want to switch to anything else. “Why would I, when I’m already working with the best machine?” she admits with a smile. She loves skillfully handling large machines even under difficult conditions, while always keeping an eye on her colleagues at the screed. The enhanced ErgoPlus 5 operating concept is a great help in this. “You have to get used to a few of the new features, but since the operating logic is very similar to the previous model, I became comfortable with the new paver right away. The controls are even simpler and more intuitive, the SmartWheel allows for highly 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 clearly see that the machine has been significantly improved.”

Trust in people and machines

Company founder Josef Böck doesn’t miss the chance to visit the construction site in person to see the new paver and the progress of the work. He used to lay asphalt by hand and is now proud of the Wirtgen Group company’s modern fleet of machines. His son Sascha particularly appreciates the pace of innovation with which the Wirtgen Group machines are improved and adapted to real-world requirements. Even more important to him are the services and personal support provided sales and service organization of the Wirtgen Group.

“My contact at Wirtgen Group is always available. I consult with him, we sometimes debate, and he’s always open to my practical suggestions. I couldn’t imagine a better working relationship—and that’s why no other road construction machines are allowed on my lot.” Developments, innovations, and improvements are implemented quickly,” says Sascha Böck. He also sees major advantages in the increasing digitalisation of the machines. Whether it’s recording the paving temperature or providing other relevant data for documentation, the new solutions make his daily work much easier.