In Austria, the Brenner motorway to the south is currently closed. According to the operator, 40 centimeters of snow fell within a short time – despite the ban on overtaking, trucks got stuck in all lanes.
Due to heavy snowfall, the Austrian Brenner motorway has been closed to the south between Innsbruck and the Brenner Pass. The motorway operator Asfinag has not yet announced how long the important traffic route from Germany to Italy will remain closed.
According to the information, around 40 centimeters of snow fell within a short period of time and the snowfall continued. Despite the ban on driving and overtaking, trucks used several lanes of the highway and then got stuck in the snow.
Clearance vehicles are also blocked
Travelers were advised to avoid large areas or postpone their journey. “We are trying to clear up the situation as quickly as possible,” said spokesman Alexander Holzedl to ORF. “But the fact is that we are talking about massive snowfalls and it will take time until we and our specialist company have removed the vehicles from the highway.”
There are more than 20 clearing vehicles and tow trucks on the highway. The stuck trucks not only blocked other cars, but also clearing vehicles. There are traffic jams practically all the time, including from the Brenner Pass towards Innsbruck.