Record speed: A13 Alpine highway open as early as Friday

Storms and traffic - Record speed: A13 Alpine highway open as early as Friday

Through a day-and-night shift, the repair works on the Swiss Alpine motorway A13 on the Bernardino-Route have progressed at record speed. The motorway, which was carried away by floodwaters and a landslide for 200 meters, will be drivable again by Friday, as the Federal Roads Office (Astra) announces. Initially, traffic will run single-lane in each direction.

Traffic with reduced speed

"Traffic will then be able to drive in counter traffic with reliable maximum speed of 60 to 80 kilometers per hour on the reopened section", said Astra spokesperson Jérôme Jacky. "The road is available to both passenger and heavy traffic." By the end of the year, the motorway should be completely two-lane in both directions.

The stretch is an important North-South connection and especially important for holiday traffic, as another connection over the Alps, over the Simplon Pass, is closed due to a landslide.

A 200-meter long section of the A13 was carried away by the floodwaters of the river Moesa on the 21st of June. Initially, the reopening was planned for the 10th of July.

Why it all went faster than expected

Several factors contributed to the quick build-up, reported the newspaper "Blick": The water of the Moesa receded faster than expected and there were no new heavy rainfalls. Additionally, the water and gravel that came down from the mountain were used for the pavement construction - and they worked day and night.

1. Despite the ongoing repair work on the A13 in Switzerland, some sections of the Alps are still experiencing traffic congestion due to the diversion caused by the flood and landslide.
2. The rapid progress in the repair work on the A13 motorway in Switzerland has been attributed to several factors, including favorable weather conditions and the use of debris from the flood and landslide for pavement construction.
3. The Alps, particularly the A13 motorway, have been susceptible to disasters such as floods and landslides in recent years, highlighting the need for emergency preparedness and effective response mechanisms.
4. The completion of the repair work on the A13 motorway in Switzerland is expected to significantly reduce travel time for both passenger and heavy traffic, particularly during the holiday season when traffic is at its peak.
5. Record-breaking repair work on the Swiss Alpine motorway A13 has resulted in the reopening of the 200-meter section earlier than expected, providing a crucial North-South connection that was temporarily disrupted by the flood and landslide.

Read also:

• Severe flooding continues in southern Germany.
• Floods continue to pose a major threat in southern Germany.
• Rising floods in the southern regions
• Floods: water levels remain critical in many places