Strike in Germany: tunnels and bridges closed, traffic jams on motorways

The strike in Germany is already affecting road traffic. Employees of Autobahn GmbH have launched protest action, resulting in closed tunnels and bridges, lane reductions on motorways, and traffic jams in several regions of the country, including Hamburg, Lower Saxony, and North Rhine–Westphalia.

On Tuesday, 20 January, strikes began at many locations across Germany involving employees of the state-owned company Autobahn GmbH, which is responsible for managing and maintaining the motorway network. The company emphasizes that it is aware of the crucial importance of road infrastructure for the economy and transport, and that road safety remains an absolute priority. Even before the protests began, so-called “emergency service agreements” were concluded with trade unions in some regional branches to ensure minimum passability and the handling of emergency situations. However, it was not possible everywhere to avoid serious disruptions.

Major traffic disruptions:

• Hamburg

- Elbe Tunnel: only two lanes open in each direction instead of three (until Tuesday, 6:00 p.m.),
- traffic jams on the A7 motorway in both directions,
- restrictions on night-time heavy goods traffic over the Norderelb bridges.

• Lower Saxony

- Jan Berghaus Bridge in Leer (B436) closed,
- Weser Tunnel (B437) and Bovenden Tunnel (B3) impassable,
- detours, including via the A31 motorway - heavy traffic volumes possible,
- increased number of ferry crossings on the Bremerhaven-Nordenham route.

• North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine–Westphalia is also joining the strike. The action affects the TLZ.NRW tunnel control centre at the State Traffic Management Centre in Leverkusen. The protest will last from Tuesday, 20 January, 4:00 p.m. until Wednesday, 21 January, 4:00 p.m. During this period, some tunnels supervised by Straßen.NRW will be closed for safety reasons.

Tunnels at risk of closure:
• B42 - Oberdollendorf (Königswinter, northbound),
• B42 - Oberkassel (Bonn, northbound),
• Weserauentunnel (Porta Westfalica),
• Bühltunnel (Siegen),
• Kiesbergtunnel (Wuppertal),
• Emmerauentunnel (Lügde).

Tunnels longer than 400 metres require continuous monitoring; therefore, their reopening will only be possible after the strike has ended.

According to information from ver.di, the strike on Tuesday afternoon will affect all 28 state tunnels in North Rhine–Westphalia. Emergency services have been ensured, but drivers must expect restrictions also in neighbouring regions.

The warning strikes are part of ongoing collective bargaining negotiations. The next round of talks is scheduled for 6 February 2026. Until then, further protests cannot be ruled out. For the transport industry, this means one thing: it is worth closely monitoring announcements and preparing for detours, delays, and local closures. This week on German roads is unlikely to be conducive to smooth traffic flow.