Unfortunately, there will not be a quiet and contemplative last full week of 2024 on the roads in and around Austria. According to ARBÖ traffic experts, the reasons are the rush to shopping, the departure to the ski areas and the Ski World Cup at Semmering.
The morning of Christmas Eve on December 24th. Experience has shown that in the “offline shopping areas” as well as on the streets there is anything but contemplative. The reasons for this are last-minute gift purchases and last-minute food and drink purchases during the holidays. According to ARBÖ, the “second rush” will take place on Friday, December 27th and Saturday, December 28th. Many people use the time between Christmas and New Year to exchange gifts or redeem vouchers. The congestion points and routes will be pretty much the same as those on the Advent shopping Saturdays. In and around the federal capital there are, among others, the southern motorway (A2), the southeast tangent (A23), the Vienna northern expressway (S2), the Franz-Josefs-Kai belt, the 2-er line and the ring, as well as the Inner Mariahilfer Road affected. There will also be traffic jams in and around Graz, Linz and Salzburg, including on the Pyhrnautobahn (A9), the Westautobahn (A1), Herrengasse (Graz), Landstraße (Linz) and around downtown Salzburg.
Sometimes: Heading to the ski areas causes traffic jams and long delays
A high season traditionally starts in the local ski areas between the Christmas holidays and the “Three Kings”. Already from St. Stephen’s Day, December 26th, an increased volume of traffic towards the ski areas in the Alpine regions can be expected. The longest traffic jams and delays can be expected on the following routes:
- Pyhrnautobahn (A9), in the greater Liezen area or between the Voralpenkreuz junction and Selzthal junction and in front of the Gleinalm tunnel
- Tauernautobahn (A10), in the greater Salzburg area, the construction site area between Werden and Golling, in front of the Pongau junction and the tunnel portals of the Katschberg and Tauern tunnels
- Inntalautobahn (A12), before the Haiming/Ötztal, Imst/Pitztal, Kufstein/Nord, Kufstein/Süd and Wiesing exits
- Rhine Valley Motorway (A14), before the Bludenz-Montafon exit
- Arlbergschnellstraße (S16), between the Bludenz junction and the Arlberg tunnel and before the Pians-Paznaun and St. Anton exits
- Zillertalstrasse (B169), throughout the entire route and especially before the expected block clearance in the Brettfall Tunnel
- Fernpaßstraße (B179), throughout and especially in front of the tunnel portals of the Grentzunnel Vils/Füssen and the Lermoosertunnel, where block handling will most likely be activated
- Silvretta Straße (B188 or L188) in Paznauntal or Montafon
- Pinzgauer Straße (B311), in sections along the entire route
In Salzburg as well as in Tyrol and Vorarlberg, the authorities have imposed temporary and local driving bans in order to restrict or prevent alternative traffic from transit routes. In Salzburg, the departure ban for transit traffic affects the Golling-Abtenau, Hallein and Kuchl exits in the direction of Villach and the Eben im Pongau and Pfarrwerfen/Werfen exits in the direction of Salzburg. The driving bans for alternative traffic in Tyrol apply until Sunday, April 27, 2025, on weekends and public holidays from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m in the districts of Kufstein, Reutte and Imst. For the Schwaz district they only apply on Saturdays. In addition, dosing ramps are used at critical points. In Vorarlberg, on Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., there are closures for all vehicles on the Braz-Ost, Braz-West, Bings and Langen am Arlberg exits on the Arlberg Expressway.
“In Salzburg and Tyrol, residents and travelers with a specific destination in and around the affected communities are exempt from the closures,” says ARBÖ traffic expert Thomas Haider.
Currently: Women’s Ski World Cup in Semmering causes closures and traffic jams
On Saturday, December 28th and Sunday, December 29th, Semmering will be dominated by the Ski World Cup. Tens of thousands of fans are expected to experience the world elite of women’s skiing live. The first round of the giant slalom starts on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. The “starting signal” for the second run takes place at 1:00 p.m. The first runner in the slalom on Sunday leaves the starting house at 10:30 a.m. The deciding race will take place from 1:30 p.m.
Since experience shows that many of the visitors arrive in motorized vehicles, there will be delays around the top of the pass before the races and after the award ceremonies, despite the sophisticated traffic concept. The traffic concept turns, among other things, the Semmering Expressway (S6) in the area between Gloggnitz and Maria Schutz, as well as part of State Road 4168 (Semmering accompanying road), into huge parking spaces. In Styria, the Semmering accompanying road (L118) will be designed as a parking lot in the area between Spital am Semmering and Semmering-Passhöhe. Free shuttle buses will take visitors to the top of the pass and back to their car on December 28th and 29th until 9:30 p.m.
The ARBÖ tips for a stress-free journey for ski fans:
- Leave early and plan for possible traffic jams when you arrive
- Use the ARBÖ information service to receive current information about road closures and traffic jams
- Use public transport to get there as much as possible. ÖBB trains make unscheduled stops at Semmering station on both Saturday and Sunday
(Continuation possible)