German highways buckle under weekend travel surge as schools close

From 17 to 19 July, Germany’s road network is expected to face its heaviest congestion of the summer season. The start of school holidays in North Rhine‑Westphalia, the country’s most populous state, adds millions of holiday‑makers to the traffic mix, extending the rush to nearly all German federal states and to neighbouring Austria, Switzerland and Italy.

The Auto Club Europa (ACE) and ADAC warn of severe bottlenecks on Friday afternoon, Saturday morning and Sunday evening, especially on routes to the Alps, the Baltic and North‑Sea coasts and on major transit corridors such as the Brenner, Inntal, Gotthard and A2/A3 highways. Over 1 000 ongoing road works and regular construction zones further curb capacity. Heavy‑truck traffic is restricted on Saturdays from 07:00 to 20:00 until 31 August, a measure intended to ease the flow. Additional delays are expected at border crossings where intensified controls slow crossings between Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Poland.