A three-day weekend has caused long tailbacks at the Gotthard tunnel in central Switzerland, with a south-bound traffic jam up to 14 kilometres long forming on Saturday morning. In most Swiss cantons, Whit Monday is a public holiday.
The Gotthard road tunnel is one of the major crossing points in the Swiss Alps. According to the association Touring Club Suisse, the congestion began on Friday morning with traffic jams stretching over 10 kilometers by the evening. The situation abated somewhat overnight.
By Saturday morning, the traffic jam in front of the Gotthard tunnel’s north entrance grew again to 14 kilometres, triggering delays of over two hours and 10 minutes between the Altdorf and Göschenen junctions in the canton of Uri.
The 17-kilometre Gotthard tunnel, which runs from Göschenen to Airolo under the famous Gotthard pass, links the German-speaking north with the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino in the south.
Opened in 1980, the road caters to roughly 17,000 vehicles daily. A separate, 57-kilometre train line – unveiled in 2016 as the longest in the world – also cuts through the mountain.
A second road tunnel, approved by Swiss voters in 2016, is expected to open in 2030 at the earliest.
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Eight things you should know about the Gotthard
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1. The Gotthard Pass is legendary. As the scene of a swearing of allegiance between the first cantons in 1291 and of resistance against wartime occupation, the Gotthard region has a unique aura. Even the Matterhorn doesn’t have the symbolic value of this massif: the cradle of the confederation, the centre of the Alps, the…
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Major alpine road tunnel given green light
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Final results show a 57% majority of voters coming out in favour. A broad coalition of environmental groups and mainly leftwing parties challenged a decision by parliament last year for a second 17km tube through the Gotthard in the heart of Switzerland. Transport Minister Doris Leuthard said the broad support by voters from around the…
This content was published on
1. The Gotthard Pass is legendary. As the scene of a swearing of allegiance between the first cantons in 1291 and of resistance against wartime occupation, the Gotthard region has a unique aura. Even the Matterhorn doesn’t have the symbolic value of this massif: the cradle of the confederation, the centre of the Alps, the…
This content was published on
With five million cars and 900,000 long vehicles a year, the Gotthard road tunnel is one of the major crossing points in the Alps. 58% of vehicles crossing the Swiss Alps transit by the tunnel, which links Göschenen in the north and Airolo on the southern side. At 16.9 km it is one of the…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.