Austria's Alps are proving particularly difficult to overcome this year, both for travel by car and for the transport of goods to and from Italy. There are extensive construction sites on the most important passes, and in some cases diversion routes, which are also riddled with construction sites. The construction sites on all north-south routes alone cost additional travel time and also cause long traffic jams throughout the day.
By 2030, the Brenner Pass will become a bottleneck as one of the main routes south. On the Austrian side, the Lueg Bridge is being renewed shortly before the top of the pass. Drivers and trucks currently find a tangle of construction site lanes there, partly because two-lane traffic is permitted on some busy days. Before reaching the Brenner route from Innsbruck to Italy, traffic repeatedly encounters extensive construction sites in the Inn Valley. One of them, between Wörgl and Kramsach, has been set up as a permanent construction site for the summer; the Austrian car club ÖAMTC says construction will end on September 30th.
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The alternative route over the Tauern also becomes a traffic jam
For truck traffic, it's not just the traffic jams on the Brenner route in Austria that count; from the outset, trucks are only allowed into the country in limited numbers in Kufstein. This is officially called “block clearance”. The backlog from the Austrian border is therefore often dozens of kilometers long, which means hours of waiting for truck drivers.
The Tauern motorway, which leads from Salzburg via Villach to Friuli in Italy or Slovenia, is often mentioned as an alternative route to the traffic jams and chaos on the Brenner route. But this route also has major construction sites, near Werden (until December 2026) and Flachau (until autumn 2027) in Salzburger Land and near Spittal in Carinthia (until 2029). In early summer it also happened that entire sections of the route were closed in one direction due to the construction site nearwerfen and had to be avoided on winding country roads. On the alternative route, too, there were construction sites with bottlenecks that were only accessible in one lane, with corresponding construction site lights. Extensive work on the two large tunnels on the Tauern Autobahn has also been announced for the years 2027 to 2030. From the ADAC's point of view, the route is becoming a traffic jam trap with up to 30 kilometers of backlog during travel times. It makes sense that a parallel route to the west on the country road with rail loading between Böckstein and Mallnitz, the so-called “Tauernschleuse”, should also remain completely closed for renovation in 2027.
Anyone who is not afraid of longer pass routes on the country road and wants to use the Katschberg parallel to the Tauern motorway a little further east will find equally drastic obstacles near the top of the pass between July and October this year, due to a narrowing to a lane with traffic lights. A total closure has also been announced for the duration of tar work.
The Pyhrnautobahn in the east is also burdened by construction sites
According to the ÖAMTC, the Alpine crossing from Linz to Graz, the Pyhrnautobahn, which lies even further east, is also burdened with four large construction sites. Construction times for two of them are planned until 2027.
This would still leave a route far to the west, for example for the return from Italy, from Bolzano via Meran, the Vinschgau, the Reschen Pass and then the Arlberg. But this route, which largely consists of country roads, also has a traffic jam on the Austrian side below the top of the pass. On the way from the Austrian mountain village of Nauders into the valley there is a narrow construction site where the traffic lights warn: “Red phases up to 15 minutes”. Further down, it is often impossible to take the motorway in the Inn Valley directly towards Landeck because the necessary tunnel is closed in the evenings and at night. The alternative route also contains a single-lane construction site until October.
Austria doesn't want to know anything about a lack of coordination
Austria's state highway operator Asfinag nevertheless rejects any suggestion that the numerous construction sites on important Alpine routes reflect a lack of coordination. The maintenance and safety measures followed a coordinated program lasting several years, the company said upon request. Priorities are given based on the condition of the route, traffic importance and safety risk. “We are committed to renovating our streets in a timely manner – before we have to close them completely for safety reasons,” argues Asfinag. This keeps the networks available and reduces the risk of total closures.
But why are all routes being renewed at the same time? Despite planning, overlaps could not always be avoided. Asfinag justifies this with the approval process, weather, supply chain problems or work by third parties. You coordinate with states, communities, emergency services and neighboring states. However, construction windows, environmental regulations, holiday and transit traffic would also have to be taken into account. Temporal overlaps are therefore possible, but “definitely not an expression of a lack of coordination”.
Construction sites should also be unavoidable on the diversions
Regarding the question of why not only the main axes such as Brenner, Tauern or Arlberg have construction sites, but also diversion routes, Asfinag again points to the need for regular maintenance. Diversion routes are often important traffic axes themselves and also need to be renovated. Interventions would be minimized where possible, sections would be bundled and emergency work would be brought forward. However, acute damage or third-party construction sites cannot always be postponed. Regarding the Landecker Tunnel, it is said that it is deliberately only closed at night in order to ensure sufficient capacity during the day.
Austria occupies a special position in European transport. The country lies between the large economic areas in the north and the holiday and industrial regions in the south. The Brenner is one of the most important north-south axes in Europe. Tauern, Pyhrn, Arlberg, Reschen and Fernpass also carry significant transit and travel traffic. At the same time, many of these roads run through narrow Alpine valleys where expansion, diversion and construction site logistics are only possible to a limited extent. The scope for additional lanes, large-scale bypasses or night work is significantly less than in flatter regions due to the shape of the landscape, noise protection, and the interests of nature and local residents.
There is no discussion about easing the night driving bans
There was no answer from the Austrian motorway operators to the question of whether the time frame of use would have to be extended given reduced capacities on the Alpine routes, including with the lifting of night driving bans for heavy traffic. They point to politics. Night driving bans are transport and environmental policy instruments and do not fall under Asfinag's decision-making authority. We act within the applicable legal framework.
The fact that tolls still have to be paid even on routes riddled with construction sites is an unshakable principle for the Austrian motorway operators. In contrast, a refund of motorway tolls in the event of traffic jams caused by construction sites has already been announced in Italy. Asfinag points out that it finances the construction, operation and maintenance of the infrastructure itself through toll revenue and does not receive any funds from other budget sources. General refunds in the event of traffic jams are currently not planned and would require legal changes. The ministry also says that comparable models are neither planned nor the subject of specific transport policy considerations. The vignette is a flat-rate usage fee for the entire high-level road network and is not linked to the traffic situation on individual sections. In addition, according to Asfinag, with the equivalent of around 28 cents per day for the annual vignette, it is one of the cheapest toll models in Europe.
The Austrian Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure also comments on this question: The Austrian system of road financing and maintenance is considered reliable and efficient throughout Europe. Revenue from tolls and vignettes would flow directly into the maintenance, modernization and expansion of the infrastructure and would therefore directly benefit road users.
Austria is in the dock in Europe anyway
Those responsible for transport infrastructure reject any assumption that the construction sites could be understood as a blockade in connection with European proceedings for obstructing traffic across the Alps. EU law should be adhered to, the functionality of the main European transport corridors ensured and coordination with neighboring countries. Construction sites serve to ensure traffic safety and the long-term availability of routes, not to obstruct traffic.
The Austrians are already in the dock because of the Alpine transit. Italy is suing Austria before the European Court of Justice for obstructing Alpine transit by banning freight traffic on the Brenner, one of the most important routes for German-Italian goods trade. In July, the Advocate General at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) presented an important opinion in this long-standing transit dispute between Italy and Austria. He classifies the Tyrolean night, sector and winter driving ban for trucks as inadmissible. The Opinion of the Advocate General is not binding for the ECJ, but is often adopted in practice.
Austria argues that the general restrictions on the Brenner Pass - without taking the construction sites into account - are proportionate and necessary compared to the free movement of goods, while the European Commission and Italy see them as illegal trade barriers. The Court's final ruling is expected later this year. If the ECJ follows the opinion of the Advocate General, the Austrian state of Tyrol could be forced to lift the driving bans. On the other hand, this could lead to protests and blockades by the population. On the other hand, it would then be possible to distribute traffic better over the entire day at a bottleneck.
