Putting a Lid on Progress: Kriens Votes on a 187-Million-Franc Highway Cover

When local harmony meets high-value infrastructure spending in Switzerland, the bill is rarely small. On 27 September, the voters of Kriens will head to the polls to decide whether to throw 26.12 million Swiss francs at a stretch of tarmac. The goal is straightforward: build green roofs over sections of the A2 highway that currently slice through the town's valley floor, severing neighborhoods while carrying 70,000 vehicles every day.

To patch up this municipal rift, the ambitious project envisions green parks, public meeting zones, and pedestrian pathways resting directly above the traffic. Three distinct sections are slated for roofing, including a structure extending up to 300 metres in the Arsenal area, an extension of the Schlund tunnel, and work at the Grosshof bridges.

The entire roofing initiative comes with a price tag of nearly 187 million Swiss francs. Naturally, local tax bases do not bear such burdens alone. Bern is stepping in with maximum generosity: the Federal Roads Office is maxing out its legal ceiling by taking on 60 percent of the cost. The Canton of Lucerne is slated to pick up 26 percent, or 48.5 million francs, leaving Kriens to fund the remaining 14 percent.

Rarely does an infrastructure plan unite local politicians so completely. From the left to the right, opposition has proved non-existent, and the Kriens municipal parliament approved the credit unanimously. Michèle Albrecht, co-president of the yes committee, acknowledged that while proponents originally wished for a complete covering of the highway, the current design reflects a pragmatic political compromise between federal, cantonal, and local authorities.

This local beautification is attached to the broader 1.8-billion-franc Bypass Lucerne mega-project, which aims to relieve urban traffic through a new bypass tunnel and a six-lane expansion of the A14 highway. Though the Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications granted planning permission in February 2024, legal challenges remain unresolved. Even if Kriens voters approve their share, the Canton of Lucerne must still put its own contribution to a regional vote on 29 November 2026.

Written by Sandy van Dongen sandy.vandongen@alpineweekly.com