Gemeinde to vote on funding for Schönried suspension bridge

Walter Egger is at it again. Fresh from his engineering endeavors on the glacier and now planning a complete restoration of the railway viaduct in Gstaad, Saanenland’s “mission impossible” construction specialist is at the center of plans to build a previously announced suspension bridge for hikers that will seamlessly connect Schönried to the hiking routes to Gstaad-Turbach and Rougemont. The plan is for a 210-meter long, 34 meter-high suspension bridge at tree-top height over the Chouflisbach river, a structure that will make it possible to walk the route even in winter. In recent surveys with guests, Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus has found guests trending towards easy, 2-hour long, pushchair-accessible hikes featuring dramatic views and if possible water. In addition routes without vehicular traffic or the need to cross major roads are preferred.

Above (click to enlarge): an aerial shot of the proposed bridge/train route from Gruben (top) to Schoenried (bottom).

Hence the proposal for the SFr 650,000 Chouflisbach bridge, which while expensive, is far preferable and more environmentally sensitive than the alternative of constructing a path into the Chouflisbach ravine, a trail which anyway would be unusable in winter due to the steepness of the terrain. On June 15, the Gemeinde is set to vote on a SFr 550,000 credit towards the project, and with a further SFr 200,000 needed to modify the hiking trails in the immediate area, SFr 300,000 will still need to be sought from private contributors. Fortunately unlike other recent infrastructure development proposals, landowners are already on board with the plans for the suspension bridge, and the new trail with run through the fields of Willy and Oswald von Gruenigen’s, before crossing the main road up to Schoenried in a tunnel.