The ADAC expects this coming weekend to bring the most congestion-heavy travel days of the entire holiday season. With every federal state in Germany now on summer break, the wave of travel is, as in previous years, expected to peak on the first weekend of August, the automobile club announced on Monday in Munich. Holiday and transit traffic from Germany's neighbouring countries is also adding to the strain on the country's motorways.
The ADAC says traffic will be at its worst from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning. From Sunday afternoon onward, return traffic will pick up noticeably, with border checks adding further delays. Alongside holidaymakers, large numbers of day-trippers will also be on the road over the weekend. Routes heading toward the Alps, coasts, lakes and low mountain ranges are expected to be especially busy.
Across Germany, around 1,000 construction sites will further slow traffic, according to the automobile club. Regional traffic is also increasing due to major events, including the Wacken Open Air festival in Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg's Sommerdom funfair.
Holidaymakers should also expect traffic jams on heavily used travel routes abroad, the ADAC says. In Austria, this applies to the West, Tauern, Inntal and Brenner motorways. The Luegbrücke bridge will also continue to see disruptions due to renovation work. In addition, a protest action is planned on the Fernpass route in Austria from Saturday morning until midday. The ADAC advises travellers heading to Tyrol or Italy to take a wide detour around the route.
In Switzerland, long queues are expected in particular on the Gotthard route. The San Bernardino route as well as the A1 and A3 motorways are also at risk of congestion. In Italy, the extension of the Brenner motorway and the stretches between the Swiss border, Milan and Genoa are affected by slow-moving traffic.
According to the ADAC, exit closures are once again likely on stretches of road in Germany and Austria that are prone to congestion, in order to prevent drivers from diverting onto alternative routes. In Germany, this affects sections of the A7, A8 and A93, as well as the B2/B23 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
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