Storm damage to major Swiss motorway may impact summer travel
Aerial view of the A13 Highway between Lostallo and Soazza completely destroyed by the force of the Moesa river, Lostallo, Southern Switzerland.
Keystone-SDA / Ti-Press / Samuel Golay
The A13 motorway, which runs from northeastern Switzerland to the southern canton of Ticino, was severely damaged during the storms on Friday and Saturday. It's unclear how long it will take to repair the damage.
This content was published on
3 minutes
SRF
Русский
ru
Поврежденный автобан A13 в Швейцарии может стать проблемой
Massive thunderstorms and rainfall on Friday evening caused a landslide in the southeastern Swiss canton of Graubünden. The debris and flooding tore away some 200 metres of the A13 motorway.
Do you want to read our weekly top stories? Subscribe here.
According to the federal government, repairs are due to begin on Monday. A spokesperson for the Federal Roads Office (Astra) told Swiss public television SRF that it is unclear how long the motorway will be closed.
“It is too early to say how long the closure will last. We have not yet been able to take a close look at the extent of the damage,” said the Astra spokesperson. A more precise picture of the situation should be possible at the beginning of the week. “First we need clarity on the missing people.”
Three people were still missing after the landslide in canton Graubünden on Friday evening.
The damage to the Buffalora pass on the A13 motorway seems to be limited. This was the result of an initial evaluation of the structure after a section of the highway collapsed due to flooding.
However, “with a pass, you have to be able to ensure the statics (tension of the cables). The repair work can only really begin when the flood waters have receded,” the spokesperson said. And that depends on the weather conditions.
“A closure that lasts several weeks or even months has serious consequences. The A13, the San Bernardino route, is an important alternative route to the often congested Gotthard mountain road,” said SRF correspondent Marcel Niedermann. As summer travel begins, the closure of the A13 could lead to more congestion on the Gotthard.
On Sunday, a spokesperson for the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) told news agency Keystone-SDA that it is examining whether holidaymakers should switch to rail travel due to the damage on the A13 motorway.
Adapted from German by DeepL/jdp
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Popular Stories
More
Life & Aging
Zurich: how the world capital of housing shortages is tackling the problem
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
This content was published on
A Geneva-registered tourist plane grazed some ski mountaineers on Saturday on a glacier on the Swiss side of the Monte Rosa massif.
Sharp rise in reports of suspicious sports betting in Switzerland
This content was published on
Last year the Intercantonal Gambling Supervisory Authority received 184 reports of suspicious activities in connection with 166 sports competitions.
Swiss fencers apologise for diplomatic scandal with Israel
This content was published on
Two days after causing a diplomatic scandal at the U23 European Championships in Tallinn, the Swiss fencers responsible have published a jointly signed apology on Instagram.
Air in climbing gyms more polluted than on streets
This content was published on
The concentration of potentially harmful chemicals in climbing gyms is sometimes higher than on busy roads, say researchers from Switzerland and Austria.
This content was published on
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) achieved slightly higher sales at the start of the year. However, profits fell sharply, partly due to the late Easter.
Switzerland’s first padel court on water built in Arosa
This content was published on
Switzerland's first padel tennis court on water will open on the Obersee in Arosa, canton Graubünden, for the 2025 summer season.
This content was published on
Wine consumption in Switzerland fell by almost 8% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Swiss wines are particularly affected by the decline.
Jackie Chan to be honoured for life’s work at Locarno Film Festival
This content was published on
Martial artist Jackie Chan will receive an Honorary Leopard, a lifetime achievement award, from the Locarno Film Festival in southern Switzerland in August.
Novartis raises forecast again after strong Q1 results
This content was published on
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis has continued the strong pace of growth of recent quarters in the first three months of 2025.
Swiss canton holds first general meeting on winegrowing
This content was published on
More than 250 professionals attended the first general meeting of the Valais wine industry on Monday in Conthey, western Switzerland.
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.