Stau-chaos on the Brenner: Trip times rise up to three hours

Stau-chaos on the Brenner: Trip times rise up to three hours

In a new traffic chaos on the burner highway at the weekend, drivers had to expect particularly difficult conditions. The traffic jam extended over an impressive 20 kilometers, and many had to plan up to three hours to drive from Sterzing to Innsbruck. This precarious situation is the result of urgently needed renovation work and an unfortunate incident with a defective truck in the border tunnel.

Usually the drivers complete the Sterzing route to Innsbruck in about an hour, but the infrastructure has left a lot to be desired for some time. On the coming vacation days, the work on the dilapidated building infrastructure, especially the upcoming land renewal of the Lueg Bridge, which will start from January 1, 2025, will threaten to further tighten the situation.

Significant traffic impairments by a truck

The traffic jam was caused by a truck on Saturday, October 19, which got stuck in the only lane in the border tunnel from Italy to Austria. The tunnel was closed for around 1.5 hours, which led to an enormous backlog. The police also reported an overload on the motorway entrance in Sterzing and the state road 12, which is often used as an alternative route when the traffic on the highway stagnates.

When cars drive off the highway to drive through smaller villages and cities, this can become a real burden for residents, Tirol's State Councilor Rene Zumtobel said. He pointed out that conflicts often occur when the streets of the communities overcome. Therefore, the Tyrolean authorities take measures to improve the traffic situation.

Tyrolean authorities react with new traffic controls

In response to the repeated traffic disorders, the Tyrolean government decided to reject 200 vehicles to maintain the flow of traffic. This was considered necessary to help both the residents and the authorities. In addition to these rejection measures, additional traffic positions and dosing lights are used to control traffic.

"The second weekend in October was challenging for everyone involved," said Governor Anton Mattle. The measures taken have contributed to preventing abandoned traffic on the North Tyrolean side and minimizing the effects of the disorder caused by the truck in the border tunnel.

The traffic problem on the burner will continue to remain a big topic for the region. On days with a high volume of traffic, the highway kept reaching its limits. State Council of Transport Zumtobel emphasizes that the years of overloading the infrastructure underlines the need for extensive construction measures to improve the traffic situation in the coming months and years.

Particular attention is paid to the upcoming construction work on the Lueg Bridge, which has to be modernized because of its poor condition. From January 2025, this work will severely affect traffic, since the bridge will then only be accessible in one lane. These developments have triggered concerns among residents and in the tourism scene, since it remains uncertain which additional challenges this could have for the traffic situation on the Brenner. Further information on these traffic problems provides www.merkur.de .