by Traffic disruptions in tunnels on the German A4 and Swiss A2
From the 11th to 23rd of September, the Königshainer Berge tunnel in the district of Görlitz will be closed for renovation. The Gotthard Tunnel closed since Sunday afternoon (September 10), will not be reopened until further notice.
Königshainer Berge Tunnel
The tunnel will be completely closed in the nights (from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m) between the 11th and 23rd of September.
❌On the night of September 11-12, both lanes will be closed.
❌From September 12 to 14 and from September 18 to 20, the tube in the direction of Görlitz will be closed.
❌From September 14 to 16 and from September 20 to 23, the tube in the direction of Dresden will be closed.
Traffic in the direction of Dresden at the Kodersdorf junction is diverted back to the A4 motorway via the U4 diversion to the Nieder Seifersdorf junction. Traffic in the direction of Görlitz is diverted at the Nieder Seifersdorf junction via the U5 diversion to the Kodersdorf junction back to the A4.
Gotthard Tunnel
The Gotthard Tunnel has been closed because the tunnel ceiling near the northern end has been damaged. Pieces of concrete came loose and fell onto the road. After the damage was reported, the tunnel was immediately closed in both directions. The cause and exact extent of the damage are not known. Initial examination revealed a 25-meter-long crack in the suspended ceiling. The tunnel will remain closed to traffic until further notice.
Car traffic is diverted via the San Bernardino Pass (A 13) and the Gotthard Pass. Lorries waiting to continue their journey at the HGV traffic control centers in Giornico (Ticino canton) and Ripshausen (Uri canton) will be stopped.
by Switzerland: closures of the Gotthard tunnel on the A2 motorway
The Gotthard Road Tunnel will be completely closed for several nights for cleaning and maintenance work.
♦ September 11-15 (4 nights) – every night from 8:00 PM to 05:00 AM.
♦ September 18-22, (4 nights) – every night from 8:00 PM to 05:00 AM.
♦ September 25-29 (4 nights) – every night from 8:00 PM to 05:00 AM.
♦ October 2-4, 2023 (2 nights) – every night from 8:00 PM to 05:00 AM.
Passenger traffic will be diverted to the Gotthard Pass whenever possible and HGV traffic (vehicles >3.5 tonnes) will be blocked half an hour before the tunnel is closed.
by Chaos! Slovenia withdraws the driving ban on August 14
Today (August 10) it has been announced that owing to extraordinary circumstances, all lorries with a maximum permissible weight exceeding 7,500 kg can travel on August 14.
According to the announcement made yesterday, from Saturday, August 12, to Tuesday, August 15, the movement of lorries with a maximum permissible weight exceeding 7,500 kg was to be only allowed in connection with flood relief operations. Now the Slovenian ministry has withdrawn the driving ban on Monday, August 14. Owing to extraordinary circumstances, all lorries with a maximum permissible weight exceeding 7,500 kg are allowed to drive on that day.
The driving ban for vehicles with a maximum permissible weight exceeding 7.5 tons will apply on:
❌ August 12, Saturday, from 8:00 to 1:00 PM, and from 6:00 to 4:00 PM on roads along the coast;
❌ August 14, Monday, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM;
❌ August 15, Tuesday, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM;
by Czech Republic: the overtaking ban for HGVs on the D1 to come into force at a later date
The ban on a 100-kilometer section of the D1 motorway was originally supposed to come into effect this summer, but due to technical problems and the lack of signs informing about the ban, the date of its introduction has been postponed.
The overtaking ban for HGVs in the Czech Republic has been in effect since the start of 2020 on some sections of the D5, D8 and D11 roads in the Prague area, on the renovated D1 near the cities of Brno and Ostrava, and on two sections of the D8 in the north of the country. The plan was to also introduce the ban on a 100-kilometre section of the D1 motorway before the end of summer. However, so far only very few signs informing about the ban have been put up. According to the Czech ministry of transport, 500 signs are to be installed in Prague by November 1.
In addition to D1 in Vysočina, the ministry is also planning to introduce the overtaking ban for HGVs on 33 new sections of the D2, D5, D7, D8, D11, D35, D46, D55 motorways and on the four-lane I/11 road near Ostrava.
by Postponement of the total closure of the Mont Blanc Tunnel
Initially scheduled for Monday 4 September, the start of the reconstruction of the tunnel connecting Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in France with Courmayeur in Italy, has been postponed owing to the closure of the Fréjus Tunnel to HGV traffic.
As a result, the Mont Blanc Tunnel will remain open until the A43 motorway and the Fréjus Tunnel are reopened to HGV traffic. The 15-week closure of the Mont Blanc is estimated to be delayed by fewer than 8 days, depending on technical and weather conditions.
by Slovenia – additional HGV driving bans on August 12-15
The driving ban applies to vehicles with a maximum permissible weight exceeding 7.5 tons on the following dates:
❌ August 12, Saturday, generally from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and from 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM on roads along the coast;
❌ August 13, Sunday, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM;
❌ August 15, Tuesday, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM;
Vehicles involved in flood relief are exempt from the ban.
by Germany: the A2 towards Magdeburg closed until Saturday
Cleanup operations are still underway after the accident that happened on Tuesday afternoon on the A2 motorway in the direction of Hannover, between the junctions Theeßen (75) and Burg-Ost (74) near Grabow.
On Wednesday, August 30, the protection zone around the accident site was lifted, which enabled the police to start their investigation. In the evening, the carriageway towards Berlin was cleared and reopened to traffic. The carriageway towards Magdeburg will be closed until Saturday. Drivers are advised to use diversions along the A14 and A9.
The bodies of two drivers who died in the accident have been removed from the vehicles. The police are trying to establish the identity of both victims and determine what caused the fire.
by Belgium: temporary closure of the Liefkenshektunnel
A diversion route will be available so drivers are advised to follow the signs.
The Liefkenshoektunnel in the direction of Gent will be closed from 9:00 PM on Thursday (August 31) to 5:00 AM on Friday (September 1), which means traffic between Tijsmanstunnel and Beverentunnel in the direction of Gent will not be possible.
The tunnel in the direction of the Netherlands will be closed from 9:00 PM on Friday (September 1) to 5:00 on Saturday (September 2).
by France: closure of A43, the Frejus Tunnel impassable for heavy goods transport
Following a rock avalanche in the Maurienne valley in the French Alps, near the border with Italy, train traffic between France and Italy has been suspended. Many roads have also been blocked.
Since the safety barrier was not able to stop the landslide, about 700 m3 of rocks have descended on the roads and railway tracks. As a result, the A43 Maurienne motorway is now closed between St Michel and Le Freney in both directions. The Fréjus Tunnel, which connects France and Italy, is closed to HGVs, which are now obliged to follow a diversion through the Mont Blanc Tunnel. ADR transports have to travel via the A8 Ventimiglia.
Gros éboulement en fin d’après-midi à Saint-André en Savoie. L’autoroute A43 est fermée et le trafic des trains entre la France et l’Italie est interrompu jusqu’à nouvel ordre. (Loïc Borella) pic.twitter.com/8oy4OSOvJI
by Netherlands – night closures of the Van Brienenoord bridge in Rotterdam
The Van Brienenoord bridge is 1,320 meters long and is one of the largest arch bridges in Europe. Every day, 230,000 vehicles pass through it.
The bridge will be completely closed during two nights: Monday, August 28, from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM and on Tuesday, August 29, from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM. The closure is necessary to conduct renovation work. Both the main and parallel lanes of the A16 from the Ridderster Junction to Van Brienenoord Bridge will be closed.
Diversion routes
❗ Transit traffic will be diverted through the Rotterdam ring road (Benelux tunnel) and the A20, A4 and A15 motorways. The diversion route is marked with yellow and numbered signs above and along the road.