- High-traffic weekend in the north - several accidents
At the start of a particularly busy weekend in Northern Germany, several incidents occurred. On the A1 near Hamburg-Ojendorf, a car rear-ended a truck early Friday morning. The car driver was severely injured, according to fire department reports. The highway was closed in the direction of Bremen for recovery operations.
On the A23 Hamburg-Heide near Elmshorn (Pinneberg district), a car also collided with a truck. The 51-year-old car driver was reportedly drunk and suffered minor injuries. The highway was closed for two hours. On the B205 near Bad Segeberg, two family cars collided. Seven people were injured. The important connection between the A7 and the A21 Kiel-Bargteheide was impassable for several hours.
First wave of returning traffic expected
The ADAC expects one of the busiest weekends of the year. The traffic club counts several highways in the north among the worst traffic jams, including the A7 Hannover-Flensburg, the A1 Bremen-Lübeck, the A24 Berlin-Hamburg, and the A20 Lübeck-Rostock. While many vacationers from Southern Germany are on their way, a first wave of returning traffic is expected in Northern Germany. School holidays are ending in Lower Saxony and Bremen, as well as in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. "We expect a lot, lot of traffic," said ADAC spokesperson Christof Tietgen.
Traffic jams around Hamburg
On the A7, drivers heading towards Hannover had to plan for an additional three-quarters of an hour at the Elbtunnel on Friday afternoon. According to the Autobahn GmbH, traffic was backed up from Hamburg-Schnelsen. In the opposite direction, the waiting time was half an hour from the Hamburg Südwest junction. There were also several traffic jams on the A7 between Rendsburg and Schleswig, as well as on the A1 between Hamburg-Billstedt and Stillhorn.
Trains cancelled due to construction work in Hamburg
One reason for the increased car traffic could also be the construction sites of the Deutsche Bahn. Due to bridge construction work between Hamburg Hauptbahnhof and Hamburg-Harburg, several ICE trains between Hamburg and Cologne, Hamburg and Frankfurt, as well as Hamburg and Munich are cancelled until August 12th. Between 9:00 PM and 5:00 AM, all trains on these routes start or end in Hamburg-Harburg. Only S-Bahn trains are running between the Hamburg Hauptbahnhof and Harburg.
Up to 250,000 people at Hamburg parade
Further construction sites at the important traffic hub Berliner Tor and the adjacent Wendenstraße railway bridge, as well as in Hamburg-Eidelstedt, are hindering the Hamburg S-Bahn traffic. This is also likely to affect many visitors to the events of the Christopher Street Day. The organizers expect up to 250,000 people for their parade on Saturday from 8:00 AM. Numerous streets in the city center and around the Alster will be closed, as the police announced.
More than 80,000 Wacken fans on the road
The Autobahn GmbH is, if possible, suspending construction work this weekend. This includes the inspection of the Norderelb bridge to allow traffic on the A1 to flow as usual on three lanes in each direction. Construction work on the A23 Hamburg-Heide near Pinneberg is also suspended to not hinder the arrival and departure of the up to 85,000 visitors of the Heavy Metal Festival in Wacken.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania less affected
Longer wait times could also occur on the A1 near Lübeck and the slightly northward located Ratekau, according to ADAC. Construction is taking place on the A20 at Kröpelin and Tessin, west and east of Rostock. On the A24 Hamburg-Berlin, there are construction sites at Zarrentin, Hagenow, and Wöbbelin. It will also be busy on the roads to and from Rügen and Usedom. However, Tietgen commented on the traffic in the northeast: "Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania gets away with a half-blue eye almost every weekend."
The organizers of the events in Hamburg during Christopher Street Day announced that numerous streets in the city center and around the Alster will be closed due to the expected large crowd, hence, the following shall be added: temporary detour signs and alternative routes should be installed to guide traffic efficiently.
To ensure the smooth flow of visitors to and from the Heavy Metal Festival in Wacken, construction work on the A23 Hamburg-Heide near Pinneberg will be temporarily suspended, thus, the following shall be added: appropriate safety measures should be implemented during the suspension to prevent any potential accidents.
