by Switzerland: A13 closed
The A13 motorway in Switzerland has been closed for an indefinite period of time following massive thunderstorms that have caused significant damage.
An approximately 200-meter motorway section above Lostallo has been destroyed, affecting the north-south route enabling traffic between Lake Constance and the San Bernardino Pass towards Italy, especially when the Gotthard Tunnel on the A2 is inaccessible. The A13 motorway is scheduled to be closed until June 28 at night for maintenance works.
According to preliminary estimates, the A13 motorway will remain closed for many months owing to the damage caused by the storms, which is being assessed by Swiss Federal Roads Office (Astra) Work to repair the damaged section could take three to four weeks. Drivers are advised to use the alternative route via the E35/A2 Gotthard north-south (in both directions), but should be prepared for longer waiting times and possible traffic jams.
by Romania: HGV restrictions – Update for June 20
CNAIR, the Romanian Road Infrastructure Management Company, has informed that based on weather warnings regarding upcoming heatwaves (33-37 degrees Celsius) vehicle weight restrictions will be introduced between 10:00 AM and 8:00 PM from June 21 to June 24.
Restrictions apply to vehicles with a GVW over 7.5 tons on the following sections of motorways, expressways and national roads:
– on June 21, in the following counties:
Giurgiu, Teleorman, Dolj, Olt, Timiș, Caraș-Severin, Arad, Hunedoara, Alba, Sibiu, Brasov and Covasna.
– on June 22 in the following counties:
Ilfov, Giurgiu, Argeș, Dâmbovița, Teleorman, Dolj, Vâlcea, Mehedinți, Gorj, Olt, Timiș, Caraș-Severin, Arad and Hunedoara.
– on June 23, in the following counties:
Ilfov, Prahova, Giurgiu, Argeș, Dâmbovița, Teleorman, Dolj, Vâlcea, Mehedinți, Gorj, Olt, Caraș – Severin, Ialomita and Călărași.
– on June 24 in the following counties:
Ilfov, Giurgiu, Argeș, Dâmbovița, Teleorman, Dolj, Vâlcea, Mehedinți, Gorj, Olt, Caraș – Severin, Ialomita and Călărași.
by Hungary: partial suspension of the HGV driving ban
In response to a request from the Association of Hungarian Road Transporters (MKFE) regarding a period of abnormally hot weather, the Ministry of Transport has partially suspended the HGV driving ban on national roads on the night from the 22nd to the 23rd of June.
Normally, the HGV driving ban would apply from 10:00 PM on Saturday to 10:00 PM on Sunday, but out of a concern for drivers’ health, the Ministry of Transport has decided to shorten the duration of the ban, which is due to start at 10 PM. on June 22 and will finish at 06:00 AM on Sunday, June 23.
by Italy: two days with an additional driving ban on the A22
Because of upcoming public holidays in Austria and Germany, the Prefecture of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano has introduced a driving ban for vehicles with a GVW over 7.5 tons on the northbound carriageway of the Brenner motorway (A22) between Vipiteno and the border with Austria (northbound) on the following days:
- ▶️ Monday, May 20, from 00:00 to 10:00 PM
- ▶️Thursday, May 30, from 00:00 to 10:00 PM
Vehicles travelling along this section when the ban is in effect are obliged to park at the Sadobre parking lot in Vipiteno or at other parking lots indicated by Autobrennero S.p.A.
Vehicles carrying perishable food products, farm animals or vehicles involved in combined road-rail transport with a railway reservation are excluded from the ban.
by Major traffic disruptions in several places in Belgium owing to closed roads and tunnels
Traffic disruptions connected with renovation work are expected on the E40 and in the Liefkenshoek, Cointe and Beveren tunnels.
Disruptions in the Cointe tunnel (E25-E40 link)
◾ The Cointe Tunnel is an important section of the E40-E25 motorway, enabling to bypass the city of Liège from the north to the south.
◾ From 10:00 PM on June 30 until 6:00 AM on August 26, the E25-E40 towards Brussels will be closed between junction 38 (Angleur/Grosses Battes/Belle-Ile) and junction 35 (Avroy/Laveu).
◾ From 10:00 PM on June 14 until 6:00 AM on August 26, junction 37 (Val Benoit/Seraing/Marche) towards Brussels will be closed.
◾ In addition, from August 5 to 9 and from August 11 to 14, the E25-E40 towards Luxembourg will be closed from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. Vehicles with a GVW of more than 7.5 tons and vehicles longer than 6 meters travelling to the north of the country (Netherlands, Germany, Brussels) are prohibited from entering the Liège agglomeration; only vehicles in local traffic are allowed to enter. The ban applies on the E25 from the Neufchâteau junction (E25-E411), an alternative route via the E42 and E411 is available.
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Belgium: the Liefkenshoek tunnel closed for maintenance from 27 to 28 of June
Maintenance work in the tunnel pipe towards Ghent/Beveren is scheduled for Thursday, June 27 and in the tunnel pipe towards Holland/Stabroek on Friday, June 28. Each time the closure is due to start at 9:00 PM and last until 5:00 AM the following day.
◾ Diversion
A diversion route will be available during the closures. Drivers are advised to follow on-site directions.
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Belgium: renovation in the Beveren tunnel to start on July 15
◾ Preparations for the renovation of the Beveren tunnel on the R2 road (Antwerp – Beveren) have been underway since spring and are currently entering their final phase. The renovation is due to start on July 15.
◾ The last phase of work on the diversion route started on June 17
◾ Since May work has been underway to widen the access road to R2 near the Waaslandhaven-Zuid complex. To complete this stage of preparations, the entrance to the R2 towards Ghent has been closed since June 17. The exit to Steenlandlaan towards the port will also be closed. Traffic will be diverted in both directions. Drivers heading for Ghent should take the Steenlandlaan – Melsele road (E34). Drivers heading for Kallo port/centre should take the route through the Beveren complex (E34) – exit Melsele – Melseledijk – Steenlandlaan – Keetberglaan roundabout. This traffic organisation will be in effect until June 25.
◾ The Beveren tunnel towards Ghent will be closed from July 15. Work on the diversion will end on July 8. From now on, new traffic organisation be in effect. The tunnel will remain open for another week, until July 15, when the renovation of the tunnel will start. The tunnel towards Ghent will be closed for a year. Traffic will follow a diversion route: via Ploegweg – Ketenislaan past the Kallo – the Steenlandlaan lock complex to reach R2 via the Waaslandhaven-Zuid complex. Traffic towards the Netherlands can continue as usual.
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Belgium: work on E40 (Erpe-Mere)
◾ Work on two bridges over the E40 in Erpe-Mere is entering its final phase and should be completed by July 4. Diversions will be set up.
◾ From June 20, 3 full lanes on the E40 towards Ghent will again be available for traffic. 3 full lanes will be available on the carriageway towards Brussels from July 1.
◾ In order to remove temporary signals and complete the work, the motorway will be closed for several nights:
➡ the carriageway towards Ghent between Aalst (exit 19) and Erpe-Mere (exit 18): on the nights of June 19-20 and June 20-21, each time from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM.;
➡ the carriageway towards Brussels between Erpe-Mere (exit 18) and Aalst (exit 19): on the night of June 21-22 from each time from 10:00 PM to 8:00 AM and on the night of July 3-4 from each time from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM.
by Closures of the Gotthard Tunnel on the A2 in June
The Gotthard road tunnel in Switzerland has to be completely closed during several nights in June for cleaning and maintenance works.
⏩ June 17 – 21 (4 nights) every night from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
⏩ June 24 – 28 (4 nights) every night from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Car traffic will be diverted through the Gotthard Pass, while HVG traffic (>3.5 tons) will be stopped half an hour before the scheduled closure.
by Hungary: New night time window for trucks for the May 1 holiday
The Hungarian Ministry of Transport has partially suspended the HGV driving ban on May 1 by establishing a ‘time window’ when the movement of HGVs with a GVW above 7.5 t is allowed.
This means that the HGV driving ban will NOT start at 10:00 PM on Tuesday, April 30, but at 06:00 AM on Wednesday, May 1. In a statement, the Ministry has informed that the partial derogation has been introduced to ensure an uninterrupted supply of goods and meet an increased demand.
by Exemption from driving bans in Bavaria
The authorities of Bavaria has suspended the HGV driving ban on Sundays and public holidays and during holiday travel periods for vehicles involved in rescue, humanitarian aid and cleaning operations and provision of essential goods to people affected by heavy rains in southern Germany
An announcement of the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior, Sports and Integration issued on June 5.
1. Vehicles with a GVW exceeding 7.5 t and vehicles with trailers are allowed to travel on Sundays and public holidays provided that it can be confirmed that the journey is performed as part of rescue, humanitarian aid or clean-up operations or in order to deliver essential supplies to communities in southern Germany affected by rainstorms.
2. Vehicles with a GVW exceeding 7.5 t and vehicles with trailers are allowed to travel on Saturdays during holiday travel periods from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM provided that it can be confirmed that the journey is performed as part of rescue, humanitarian aid or clean-up operations or in order to deliver essential supplies to communities in southern Germany affected by rainstorms.
3. Paragraph 1 and 2 also apply to empty journeys directly and obviously related to the above transports.
4. The exemption only applies within in the territory of Bavaria.
5. This exemption enters into force on June 9 and expires on July 31 this year.
Explanatory note
In Bavaria, an exemption permit is not required in the case of the above exemptions until July 31, provided that it can be confirmed that the journey is performed as part of rescue, humanitarian aid or clean-up operations or in order to deliver essential supplies to communities in southern Germany affected by rainstorms.
by Belarus introduces tonnage restrictions owing to summer heat waves
Temporary restrictions on axle loads on national roads in Belarus will apply from May 25 to August 31.
In accordance with the order of the Ministry of Transport issued on April 24, the permissible maximum load on a single axle of heavy goods vehicles driving on national roads with asphalt concrete surfaces between 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM must not exceed 6 tons when the air temperature exceeds 25 degrees Celsius.
The restriction applies to roads leading to the active border crossings in Grigorovshchina and Benyakoni. It does not apply on road sections leading to the border crossings in Kozlovichi and Kamenny Log.
by Austria: A9 closed until the end of the week
The Austrian motorway operator ASFINAG has informed that on Saturday, June 8, five mudslides came down on the A9 motorway near Bösebach. In some cases, the layer of deposited mud and debris was 2 meters deep.
ASFINAG employees, firefighters and transporting companies worked around the clock using 20 trucks and 7 excavators to remove masses of earth that kept sliding down the unstable slopes, along with huge amounts of water. On Sunday, June 9, geologists and bridge engineers checked the slopes and the infrastructure and found that the rain water had also caused major damage to the motorway. Hundreds of meters of drainage systems as well as fences and protective barriers were destroyed. It is still difficult to estimate the scale of the damage. The bridge north of the Bösebach junction has also been affected: the ground around one of its pillar has been washed away by masses of water.
For safety reasons, the A9 motorway will remain closed in both directions until the end of the week. Two-way traffic on the carriageway towards Voralpenkreuz could be resumed on Friday at the earliest. However, renovation work on the carriageway towards Spielfeld will take longer. Therefore, traffic in both directions from St. Michael and Deutschfeistritz will continue to be diverted via the S6 Semmering and S35 Brucker Expressway.