Up to nine kilometers of traffic jam on the Gotthard a week before Easter
Published: Saturday, Mar 23rd 2024, 17:40
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A week before the Easter holidays, a traffic jam of nine kilometers formed in front of the Gotthard north portal on Saturday morning. The time lost was up to one and a half hours in some places. The traffic jam gradually eased over the course of the afternoon and was still four kilometers long at 4 pm.
On its website, the Touring Club of Switzerland (TCS) cited traffic congestion as the reason for the traffic jam on the A2 highway between Erstfeld UR and Göschenen UR. The alternative route via the A13 and the San Bernardino tunnel was recommended.
There was also an increase in traffic on other stretches of road on Saturday. For example, there was congestion at the Härkingen SO junction and on the A2 in Chiasso TI at the Italian border. The traffic jam in Chiasso was one kilometer long on Saturday afternoon.
In contrast to large parts of the rest of Switzerland, travelers to Ticino can generally expect dry weather this weekend with temperatures between 15 and 19 degrees.
In Ticino, the weather is likely to be dry with scattered sunshine over the weekend. In large parts of the rest of Switzerland, however, it will be wet and only half as warm.
Start of vacation in Germany
One of the main reasons for the rush on the freeways heading south is probably the start of the vacations in eleven German states this weekend, including the two neighboring states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. In Switzerland, the two Basel regions start their spring vacation.
The traffic delays due to the spring vacation are likely to really start next Wednesday. The Federal Roads Office is expecting traffic jams and delays on both the Gotthard and San Bernardino routes.
Congestion management in the canton of Uri
On Saturday, the highway entrances in Wassen UR and Göschenen before the Gotthard were closed. This goes hand in hand with the traffic containment measures introduced by the Canton of Uri on Wednesday. The freeway entrances in Göschenen and Wassen in the southbound direction will be closed if the traffic jam is more than three kilometers long.
In addition, the speed on the freeway between Altdorf and Amsteg UR will be reduced to 80 kilometers per hour in the event of a traffic jam of eight kilometers or more. The aim of slowing down traffic is to minimize the risk of accidents.
There will also be an increased volume of rail travel during the Easter week. To meet the high demand, SBB will be operating a total of 49 additional trains from German-speaking Switzerland to Ticino and back over the Easter holidays. This means that a total of 49,000 additional seats will be available.
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