Protest blocks key Austria-Italy highway amid demands for traffic action
Authorities closed part of the Brenner Pass highway from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm local time on Saturday to facilitate a protest against noise and pollution.
Since 2000, lorry numbers on the Brenner Pass have more than doubled, contributing to nearly 11 million vehicles using this critical trans-Alpine route last year.
“This has been an issue for a very, very long time. It’s been dragging on for years,” said Karl Muehlsteiger, emphasising the urgent need for change.
Austrian protesters shut Brenner motorway on Saturday over pollution
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A protest in Austria on Saturday against noise and pollution blocked one of Europe’s most important highways connecting Germany and Italy. However, early reports showed traffic disruptions were not as bad as feared.
Several thousand protesters gathered on the road at Matrei am Brenner on Saturday to demand action. Authorities closed part of the highway and surrounding roads to all transit traffic from 11:00 am local time to 7:00 pm, to make space for the demonstration.
The Brenner Pass links northern and southern Europe, with the Austrian stretch providing vital trans-Alpine access into Italy. Communities in Austria’s western Tyrol province have long complained about traffic on the route, especially trucks passing through the province.
According to the Austrian motorway operator ASFINAG, traffic has increased steadily for years, with lorry numbers more than doubling since 2000. Last year alone, nearly 11 million cars, 2.5 million vans and lorries used the route.
“We want to send a message to Brussels, to the federal government in Vienna, that things absolutely cannot and must not continue like this with the constantly increasing traffic here,” organiser Karl Muehlsteiger said ahead of the protest. “This has been an issue for a very, very long time. It’s been dragging on for years.”
Muehlsteiger, who is the mayor of Gries am Brenner, added that the situation is “no longer manageable for the population, no longer bearable,” noting that pollution, noise and traffic jams were plaguing local communities like his along the highway.
Political Friction and Sluggish Infrastructure
The blockade highlights long-standing political debates over how to manage trans-Alpine freight. Bavaria’s transport minister, Christian Bernreiter, has called for a flexible toll system where freight charges rise during peak traffic hours and fall during quieter periods.
Bernreiter also backed the proposed “Brenner north access route” from Munich to Innsbruck, an underground rail line designed to move freight off the roads and onto tracks while safeguarding the landscape. However, the project has progressed sluggishly for years as the German Bundestag has yet to decide on the exact route. Mayor Muehlsteiger stressed that the Bavarian state government must take responsibility, saying, “We urgently need the northern access route in Bavaria. Bavaria needs to involve the population in Rosenheim in the project; only then can it become a success.”
Extensive Closures and Diversion Bans
The protest landed on what is traditionally one of the busiest travel days of the year in southern Germany.
Ahead of the event, Austria’s motoring club OeAMTC had warned of the possibility of “extensive traffic jams” and advised drivers to avoid travelling through Tyrol that day.
The A13 Brenner motorway between the Schönberg toll station and the Brenner, the B182 Brenner road and the L38 Ellbögen road were all closed in both directions.
Germany’s Federal Foreign Office also warned motorists against driving over the Brenner, whilst the Upper Bavaria South police headquarters prepared for the largest traffic operation in its history. Police spokesman Stefan Sonntag stated before the event: “We expect to be hit by everything heading south. Several hundred police officers will be on duty.”
To prevent local networks from gridlocking, the L38 and B182 were restricted to drivers who could prove they had a booked destination along the route. Additionally, a strict exit ban applied on the A8 and A93 motorways in the districts of Rosenheim and Berchtesgadener Land, meaning motorists were only allowed to leave the motorway if they had a valid destination in the area.
While drivers were advised to seek wide detours at an early stage—such as at the Inntal interchange, near Rosenheim or near Verona—motoring organisations named the Gotthard and San Bernardino tunnels in Switzerland, as well as the Reschen Pass, as the most important alternatives used to keep traffic moving across the Alps.