Germany: long weekend with disruptions. Truck ban, traffic jams and over 900 roadworks

Travelling through Germany from 13 to 17 May may be much more difficult than usual. ADAC warns of heavy traffic related to the Ascension Day long weekend, numerous roadworks, motorway closures and the truck driving ban in force on 14 May.

The heaviest traffic is expected on Wednesday, 13 May. Many drivers will start their trips ahead of Thursday’s public holiday. According to ADAC forecasts, traffic jams may occur especially:
• on Wednesday, 13 May, from 13:00 to 19:00,
• on Thursday, 14 May, from 10:00 to 14:00,
• on Sunday, 17 May, from 13:00 to 19:00, during return traffic.

Road conditions should be calmer on Friday, 15 May, and Saturday, 16 May.

For carriers, the truck driving ban on Ascension Day is particularly important. On Thursday, 14 May, from 00:00 to 22:00, heavy goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes will not be allowed to use most German motorways. The restriction may partially reduce heavy traffic, but it will not eliminate congestion, as more than 900 roadworks are currently taking place on German motorways.

Another problem for heavy transport will be the Inntal A93/A12 corridor. Another block clearance of trucks is planned there on Friday, 15 May. ADAC expects this to mean long queues of heavy goods vehicles in practice, with disruptions also affecting passenger cars.

The highest risk of traffic jams concerns routes around large urban areas, roads towards the Alps, the coasts and popular holiday regions. ADAC points to the following sections, among others:
• A1 Fehmarn – Lübeck – Hamburg – Bremen – Osnabrück – Münster – Dortmund – Cologne,
• A2 Oberhausen – Dortmund – Hanover – Brunswick – Magdeburg,
• A3 Arnhem – Oberhausen – Cologne – Frankfurt and Linz – Passau,
• A4 Heerlen/Aachen – Cologne – Olpe and Chemnitz – Dresden – Görlitz,
• A5 Karlsruhe – Basel and Hattenbacher Dreieck – Frankfurt,
• A6 Mannheim – Heilbronn – Nuremberg,
• A7 Flensburg – Hamburg – Hanover – Kassel and Ulm – Füssen/Reutte,
• A8 Karlsruhe – Stuttgart – Munich – Salzburg,
• A9 Berlin – Halle/Leipzig,
• A10 Berlin ring road,
• A11 Berlin ring road – Kreuz Uckermark,
• A12 Berlin ring road – Frankfurt an der Oder,
• A23 Hamburg – Heide,
• A24 Hamburg – Schwerin,
• A27 Bremen – Bremerhaven,
• A45 Dortmund – Hagen – Giessen,
• A61 Mönchengladbach – Koblenz,
• A81 Singen – Stuttgart,
• A96 Munich – Lindau,
• A99 Munich motorway ring road.

From 13 to 17 May, drivers also need to take into account full closures of selected motorway sections. For companies planning transport operations, the following will be particularly important:
• A40 towards Duisburg, between Duisburg-Kaiserberg and Kreuz Duisburg, from Wednesday, 13 May, until Monday, 18 May, at 05:00,
• A67 towards Mannheim, between Lorsch and the Lorsch service area, from Wednesday, 13 May, until Monday, 18 May, at 05:00,
• A61 Mönchengladbach – Venlo in both directions, between Kreuz Mönchengladbach and Mackenstein, from Friday, 15 May, until Monday, 18 May, at 05:00.

Disruptions may also affect routes outside Germany. Ascension Day is also a public holiday in countries including Austria, Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands, so heavier traffic can be expected on the main Alpine corridors.

In Austria, the following routes may be particularly busy:
• A10 Tauern,
• A12 Inntal,
• A13 Brenner,
• B180 Reschen,
• B179 Fernpass,
• A14 Rheintal,
• A1 Westautobahn.

In Switzerland, ADAC points to the risk of traffic jams on:
• A1 Bern – Zurich – St. Margrethen,
• A2 Basel – Lucerne – Gotthard – Chiasso,
• A3 Basel – Zurich – Chur,
• A13 Chur – Bellinzona.

In Italy, heavier traffic can be expected on the Brenner A22/SS12 route and on roads leading towards Lake Garda.

Carriers should also take into account possible queues at borders. ADAC indicates that delays may occur particularly at the following crossings:

• Suben on the A3 Linz – Passau route,
• Walserberg on the A8 Salzburg – Munich,
• Kiefersfelden on the A93 Kufstein – Rosenheim.

Disruptions are also possible when leaving Germany towards Poland, including at the following crossings:
• A4 Ludwigsdorf/Görlitz,
• A11 Pomellen/Szczecin,
• A12 Frankfurt an der Oder,
• A15 Forst.

ADAC announces that the next difficult period on the roads will occur during the Pentecost long weekend from 22 to 25 May. The biggest disruptions should be expected on Friday afternoon, in southern Germany also on Saturday morning, and on Monday, 25 May, during return traffic.