Signaling potential demise:

With the summer holidays coming to an end for several German states, traffic clubs ACE and ADAC are warning of potential delays and congestion on German highways and surrounding motorway networks.

According to ACE, delays are expected to be particularly prevalent in southern Germany, moving northwards, away from the coasts, and around the Berlin metropolitan area. The organization also advises against transit traffic along the Inntal motorway (A 12) and the Fernpass route due to increased traffic and potential driving bans.

ADAC forecasts heavy traffic on German highways, especially on return routes, with particularly congested areas expected on these routes. Particularly affected routes in both directions include the Fernpass, Brenner, Karawanken, Pyhrn, Inntal, Rheintal, Tauern routes in Austria, as well as the Gotthard Autobahn in Switzerland.

The ACE recommends the San Bernardino - Chur - Bellinzona route (A 13) as an alternative to the Gotthard route, but this route may also experience increased traffic. Delays and congestion are predicted, especially before the Gotthard tunnel, particularly on the Gotthard route (A 2).

Both organizations anticipate the worst traffic on Friday afternoon, Saturday morning, and Sunday afternoon. Construction sites and partial closures around highways are expected to cause additional delays.

Border wait times may still occur, as enhanced entry controls have been in place at all German borders since early May, particularly at Suben (A 3), Walserberg (A 8), and Kiefersfelden (A 93).

Pleasant weather may attract early holidaymakers, weekend getaways, and hikers to the highways, further exacerbating the traffic situation. However, ACE expects a more relaxed atmosphere on holiday routes this weekend. ADAC suggests it might be more relaxed in the opposite direction in Austria.

Real-time travel times for many important transit corridors in the Austrian motorway network can be viewed on the Asfinag website. Only Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria have one more week of summer holidays, while the summer holidays have ended in the federal states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Schleswig-Holstein.

Traffic clubs continue to advise caution and patience during this busy travel period. The end of the holidays typically signals the beginning of the end of the traffic season, but congestion and delays are still expected in Austria and Switzerland, particularly on return routes. Delays are still expected on the Reschen Pass (B 180) due to traffic being controlled in sections with only one lane open in each direction.

From September 5 to September 7, 2021, the German states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia still had their summer holidays; all other states had already ended their summer holidays by that time.