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A closed tunnel means work for the Uri police and more traffic near Andermatt. Those affected are calm.
There hasn’t been a big traffic jam so far, the traffic is moving. Nevertheless, the cars and coaches wind their way up the Schöllenen Gorge close together. “The road over the Gotthard Pass is currently very busy,” says Gusti Planzer from the Uri cantonal police.
Patrols along the A2
He and his colleagues have had a lot to do since concrete parts came loose in the Gotthard road tunnel on Sunday afternoon and the passage was closed in both directions. Since then, travelers to Ticino have been redirected via the San Bernardino route and the Gotthard pass road.
They regularly patrol the cantonal roads along the A2, said Planzer. “Then we occupy critical locations such as the roundabout in Göschenen or the exits in Erstfeld and Wassen. First and foremost it is about observing the traffic flow. If necessary, the patrols would also intervene.”
“Holiday traffic is over”
After the Schöllenen Gorge has been conquered, the Gotthard Pass road leads past Andermatt. The population there will also be confronted with more traffic in the next few days. So far, this has been limited, says mayor Peter Baumann when asked.
Legend:
Ever since the Gotthard tunnel was closed, cars have been driving up the Schöllenen Gorge in a steady column.
SRF
“At the moment, Andermatt is not drowning in traffic,” says Baumann. From the long column over the pass road – which leads past the Andermatt village center, you don’t notice much in the village. He himself read about it in the newspaper. “We are lucky that the big holiday traffic is over.”
In exchange with Astra
At the moment, the people of Andermatt are still getting out of the village and back again. However, that could change. “At the bottleneck in the Schöllenen, there will certainly be a backlog if traffic increases a little,” says the mayor.
Legend:
The Gotthard road tunnel has been closed in both directions since Sunday evening.
SRF
Andermatt cannot yet prepare for a specific scenario. For this we have to wait for further information from the Federal Roads Office (Astra). If the tunnel remains closed for a longer period, solutions will be sought in collaboration with Astra, says Baumann.
The situation could particularly worsen later, in autumn and winter. “At the moment the snow is still a long way away. But that can change quickly.” He is therefore hoping for a nice autumn.