First traffic jam peak occurs on Gotthard motorway

The Gotthard motorway in Switzerland saw its first significant holiday traffic jam this past weekend, as a wave of summer travelers headed south. The situation led to extensive queues and considerable delays for those attempting to cross the Alps.

On Saturday morning, traffic backed up as much as 20 kilometers before the north portal of the Gotthard road tunnel. The Touring Club of Switzerland reported that vehicles were moving at a crawl for long stretches between Altdorf and Göschenen, with waiting times reaching approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes. This level of congestion was last seen in 2022, according to national traffic information center Viasuisse.

While the queues shortened slightly by Saturday afternoon and eased further in the evening, the situation worsened again on Sunday. By afternoon, a 14-kilometer queue had formed, resulting in over two hours of waiting time. In contrast, the southbound traffic at Airolo experienced much shorter delays, with queues around 3 kilometers.

Adding to the congestion, a construction site with narrowed lanes in both directions further complicated traffic flow. The heavy holiday traffic had begun on Friday, with an 11-kilometer queue forming by the afternoon and wait times of 1.5 hours before the Gotthard north portal.

Local residents in the canton of Uri expressed their frustration with the increasing burden of holiday traffic. Around sixty residents protested in Amsteg on Saturday morning against the noise, exhaust fumes, and disruptions caused by vehicles using cantonal and municipal roads to bypass the main highway congestion. They called for effective measures, such as temporary driving restrictions, to curb this 'shortcut' traffic.

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Nothing is moving in the direction of the south: a typical picture in front of the Gotthard.