The SS 44 bis originates from a military road that was built under
Benito Mussolini from 1933 up to two kilometers from the pass, in order to be used for an offensive against Austria in the event of a war. Its construction was stopped after Mussolini and Hitler had concluded the
Berlin-Rome axis. The plan to build a road over the Timmelsjoch was taken up by Austria soon after the Second World War. It was significantly advanced by the then regional councilor and later governor Eduard Wallnöfer, himself a native of South Tyrol. In 1959, the pass road was opened on the Austrian side. On September 15, 1968, the road connection, now designated as the public SS 44 bis, was officially opened on the Italian side. ==References==