Austrian highways face massive jams as summer holidays begin

With schools and universities across Austria closed for the summer break, a surge of domestic and cross‑border travelers has clogged the country’s main motorways. The ÖAMTC warned that the Brenner route (A13) is repeatedly halted near the Fernpass and at the Kufstein‑Kiefersfelden border, while the Pack section of the A2 and several points on the A10 Tauern Autobahn – including the Herzogbergtunnel and Kalcherkogeltunnel – see queues of up to 30 minutes.

The national road authority ASFINAG echoed the warning, listing the A1 West Autobahn, A9 Pyhrn Autobahn, A10 Tauernautobahn, A12 Inntal Autobahn, A13 Brenner Autobahn and the Vienna ring road as hotspots for “strong travel traffic and delays” from Friday, 10 July. Planned roadworks, a temporary rad‑race closure on the A1 and toll‑station restrictions on the A10 add to the congestion.

A regional forecast from NÖN highlighted further choke points such as the A4 at the Prater‑Neusiedl interchange, the A1/A7 West corridor, the A9 tunnel chain, the A2 Pack section, the A11 Karawanken approach and numerous mountain‑pass stretches. Large events – the Helene Fischer concert in Vienna’s Ernst‑Happel‑Stadion, the Electriclove festival in Salzburg and the Tour of Austria cycling race – are expected to intensify traffic on the already strained network. Drivers are urged to consider alternative routes, especially via the A13–San Bernardino corridor, to avoid hour‑long delays.