A7 in Hamburg: After complete closure – now free again! Danger of traffic jams remains!

A7 in Hamburg: After complete closure – now free again! Danger of traffic jams remains!

The Autobahn 7 in Hamburg is now passable again after an extensive closure at the weekend. How NDR reported, the section between the Hamburg-Heimfeld and -Stellingen junctions was closed due to construction work. The work included, among other things, the electronic integration of the noise protection tunnels in Schnelsen, Stellingen and Altona as well as the Elbe tunnel into the control center. In addition, maintenance and asphalt work was carried out in the Elbe tunnel and new traffic sign gantries were built.

The closure led to massive traffic jams around Hamburg, especially on the A1 towards Hanover and Bremen. A long line of vehicles also formed in front of Stellingen on the A7 towards Hanover. Traffic jams were also recorded in the urban area in the direction of the Neue Elbbrücken. The main causes of these traffic disruptions are both the full closure and the increased traffic volume due to Sunday shopping.

Traffic restrictions in the city area

Particular problems occurred in front of the Elbe tunnel, where a heavy transport truck with a wind turbine blade got stuck. This led loudly World to kilometer-long traffic jams heading north during rush hour. The semi-trailer's load exceeded the permitted height of four meters, which triggered a height warning during the night. The following morning it accumulated over a length of up to 16 kilometers.

The emergency services had difficulty moving the stuck truck because their attempt to replace the tractor-trailer with a smaller one failed. Various alternative routes, such as the Köhlbrand Bridge, were also heavily impacted. Only three of the four tunnel tubes were available to motorists, as the second tube is closed until the end of June due to renovation work.

Outlook for further closures

Further closures on the A7 in Hamburg are already planned for the coming weeks. These are:

• 17.10. – 20.10.: Instandhaltung und Technik im Elbtunnel
• 7.11. – 10.11.: Bau- und Prüfmaßnahmen an der Hochstraße K20
• 14.11. – 17.11.: Wartungen und Prüfungen im Tunnel Stellingen
• 6.12. – 7.12.: Nächtliche Arbeiten im Haupttunnel der Hochstraße K20

From October 2nd, the defective concrete road on the state border with Schleswig-Holstein will also be replaced with an asphalt surface. This is part of the ongoing expansion of the A7 in Hamburg.

It remains to be hoped that these measures will improve the traffic situation in the region in the long term.