Roman Roads and Bridges in Switzerland
30 January 2023
Roman road and bridge builders were skilled and versatile. Their construction of roads and bridges was well thought out and optimally adapted to local conditions. Their technical capabilities and surveying are still amazing today. Many modern European bridges and roads are in worse condition after only 80 years!
Whenever possible, roads were built in a straight line and ran along slopes and riverbanks through valleys, mountains, and mountain passes. Moreover, lakes, rivers, and flat land made it possible to connect many roads. Solid bridges made crossing (wide) rivers possible. Several bridges are still standing after 2,000 years.
Crossing the Alps was no problem either. Switzerland and South Tyrol were not obstacles but indispensable axes—the most important and widely used traffic routes developed in this Alpine region from southern to northern Europe. The Via Claudia Augusta, which connected Italy to Augsburg (Augusta Vindelicum in the Provincia Raetia (secunda), is still used today.
The Brenner Pass and the Reschen Pass in South Tyrol, the Great St Bernard Pass and Little St Bernard Pass in Valais, and the Julier Pass, Septimer Pass, Maloja Pass and Ofen Pass in Raetia (prima) in present-day Graubünden were the most important mountain passes in this region in Roman times.