Elbe Tunnel in Hamburg: Mega closure for 120,000 cars - How to avoid the traffic jam!
In autumn 2025, the Elbe Tunnel in Hamburg will be closed for 55 hours on several weekends. The reason is important construction work.

Elbe Tunnel in Hamburg: Mega closure for 120,000 cars - How to avoid the traffic jam!
A look at the A7 shows that traffic in northern Germany could soon come to a standstill. The Elbe Tunnel in Hamburg will be completely closed for several weekends in autumn 2025. Loud Mercury The tunnel remains closed for 55 hours at a time. The affected dates are October 17th to 20th, November 7th to 10th and December 5th to 8th. Anyone traveling on these weekends should think carefully about their plans.
Around 120,000 vehicles pass through the Elbe Tunnel every day. The closure affects the entire carriageway in both directions and will be implemented from 10 p.m. Friday evening until 5 a.m. Monday morning. The reason given for the measures is several structural and technical works. This includes the installation of new traffic sign gantries, a software update of the tunnel system, the expansion of the noise protection system and preparation for the expansion of the motorway to eight lanes and the connection to the A26.
Further closures on the A7
The general traffic situation on the A7 will not be made any easier by further closures. The Stellingen tunnel is also affected and will be closed for a total of 67 hours from November 14th to 17th and December 6th and 7th. Here too, drivers should expect longer waiting times, which will result in additional traffic congestion.
Passengers traveling to Hamburg Airport must pay particular attention. Diversions via the A1, A21 and B205 are unavoidable during the closures. Warm recommendation here: Take the exit at Horster triangle, then take the A1 towards Lübeck and continue on the A21 to Kiel. The return to the A7 is north of Bad Segeberg via the B205. A detour that can quickly lead to traffic jams and delays when there is a lot of traffic.
Comparison to previous lockdown
There was already a similar situation at the beginning of October. The closure of the eastern tube of the Elbe Tunnel led to a traffic jam of around eight kilometers in a northerly direction. You should definitely plan for such delays in order to reach your destination in a relaxed manner.
With this information, road users are well prepared to adapt their travel plans to the upcoming closures. If you plan carefully and are informed in good time, you will have the necessary overview of the traffic conditions on the A7 in the coming weeks.