The closure of the A7 Elbe tunnel due to construction work caused delays on Saturday, especially on the A1. According to the police, traffic in the direction of Lübeck was backed up for 14 kilometers in front of the Norderelbe motorway junction. This is due to both the travel towards the Baltic Sea and the blocking of the motorway.
In the city of Hamburg - including the detour via Hamburg-Harburg - the situation was reported to be relatively relaxed until the afternoon. On the alternative routes B75, B4 and B73 there is still traffic, where an attempt is made to relieve the traffic by switching traffic lights accordingly. Vacationers who wanted to switch to the Glückstadt - Wischhafen ferry also needed patience there until they could board - more than two hours at peak times.
Due to construction work for a noise protection tunnel in Altona, according to Autobahn GmbH, the northbound lane is expected to be closed until 5 a.m. on Monday between the Hamburg-Heimfeld and Hamburg-Stellingen junctions. This means that the Elbe Tunnel in a northerly direction is also not accessible. In addition, the Hamburg-Volkspark junction will be completely closed.
It is the first weekend that schoolchildren from all 16 federal states have their summer holidays. For this reason, it is also advisable to bypass Hamburg on a large scale via the A1, A21 and B205 or alternatively to use buses and trains. The A7 was already closed in the southbound section last weekend. The ADAC expects significant traffic problems and traffic jams again.
But why was this weekend chosen? In principle, the aim is always to avoid construction work and the associated traffic restrictions in the summer travel season, explains project coordinator Karina Fischer. However, especially in multi-year construction projects, it is not always possible to move traffic restrictions to times when there is little traffic. If certain work is not done now, the entire schedule is in jeopardy.
