On Friday, rubble and mud fell in the municipality of Lostallo. The landslide has torn away part of the A13 motorway, destroying 200 meters of the motorway. Both the A13 national road and the cantonal road in Misox will remain closed on Sunday. According to the federal government, repairs are to begin on Monday.
It is still unclear how long the closure of the motorway will last, a press spokesman for the Federal Roads Office (Astra) told SRF: “It is still too early to say how long the A13 will be closed. Astra is currently working on determining the exact extent of the damage.” A more precise picture of the situation should be available at the beginning of the week. “First of all, we need certainty about the missing people.”
Repair depends on weather conditions
The Buffalora bridge on the A13 national road did not suffer too much damage. This was the result of an initial evaluation of the structure after a section of the motorway collapsed due to flooding.
But: “With a bridge, you have to be able to ensure the structural stability. Work can only really begin once the flood waters have receded,” the spokesman continues. And that depends on the weather conditions.
Legend:
It is still unclear how long the closure of the motorway will last, says a press spokesman for the Federal Roads Office (Astra).
KEYSTONE/EPA/MICHAEL BUHOLZER/Drone image
Traffic over the Alps cannot travel over the San Bernardino Pass. Astra recommends the Gotthard route as an alternative.
In the next few days, the SBB will examine whether holidaymakers will switch to rail due to the severe storm damage on the A13 – and whether rail traffic on the Gotthard will need to be increased in the run-up to the summer holidays.
Ten kilometers of traffic jam in front of the Gotthard
Open box
Box zuklappen
At the Gotthard South Portal, cars were backed up for ten kilometers between Faido TI and the Airolo TI rest area on Sunday afternoon. Travelers had to expect a waiting time of around one and a half hours. This was announced by the TCS via X and Viasuisse.
And traffic was also overloaded on the north side: between Wassen and Göschenen UR, the line of cars was three kilometers long at 12.15 p.m. Drivers had to expect a waiting time of up to 30 minutes.
“A closure lasting weeks or even months has serious consequences. The A13, the San Bernardino route, is an important alternative route to the often congested Gotthard,” says SRF correspondent Marcel Niedermann. With the arrival of summer travel, the closed A13 could lead to more traffic jams on the Gotthard. The Uri cantonal police are also expecting an increase in traffic on the Gotthard, says duty officer Urs Aschwanden to SRF.
Politicians want to prevent traffic chaos
Discussions are already underway on how to deal with this blockade – for passenger and freight transport. For passenger transport, there is the possibility of using rail more, says Thierry Burkart, FDP member of the Council of States from Aargau and President of the Swiss Commercial Vehicle Association Astag.
The A13 is an important north-south route for freight traffic, namely 127,000 vehicles per year.
However, he fears a supply bottleneck in Eastern Switzerland: “The A13 is an important north-south route for freight traffic, namely 127,000 vehicles per year.”
In addition to restoring local traffic in Misox as quickly as possible, possibly with the help of the army, further measures are needed in the area of the Gotthard route, Burkart told SRF. He is also considering a temporary lifting of the Sunday and night driving ban. In an extraordinary situation, this measure could be implemented at short notice.
Diversionary traffic through the villages must be prevented.
Above all, however, international coordination is needed so that transit traffic avoids Switzerland as much as possible. Uri’s Centre National Councillor Simon Stalder agrees. He fears that traffic will be diverted through the canton of Uri. “Diversionary traffic via the villages must be prevented.” The large holiday traffic flows are expected in the next few weeks, and measures will need to be taken by then.
Consequences for transport companies
Open box
Box zuklappen
Transport entrepreneur Daniel Schöni speaks of impending waiting times on the Gotthard – this is also because the route is already under strain from holiday traffic. “Traffic from Bern, Fribourg and Biel will probably switch to the Simplon axis and accept a certain detour.” At the end of the day, however, this route is probably faster than the Gotthard, where long waiting times are expected. Traffic from eastern Switzerland will have to accept a detour of 100 to 150 kilometers and the journeys will therefore become more expensive.
