Brenner Autobahn

The Brenner Autobahn A13 is the Austrian section of the busiest Alpine transit corridor in Europe, climbing from the Innsbruck interchange through the Wipp Valley to the Brenner Pass at 1,374 metres. Constructed in the 1960s, it was among the first true Alpine motorways in the world, requiring an ambitious sequence of viaducts, tunnels, and steep gradients through challenging high-mountain terrain. Full cross-border traffic between Austria and Italy opened on 5 April 1971, decades after the Brenner Pass itself was fixed as the Austro-Italian border by the Treaty of Saint-Germain in 1920. The route forms part of European road E45 and carries some of the continent's heaviest lorry traffic, while offering drivers open views across the Stubai Alps and Karwendel range.