Nighttime closures in the Swiss Gotthard Tunnel will be extended, the following detours are in place

Switzerland's Gotthard Tunnel will be closed on selected days at night until the end of October. With regular maintenance work taking longer than planned, nighttime drivers need to prepare for the following.

• 4 nighttime closures will take place until the end of October
• Alternative routes can be taken via the San Bernardino freeway or the Gotthard Pass
• Due to ceiling demolition, the regular fall maintenance will be delayed

The regular cleaning and maintenance work that results in a nighttime closure of one of Switzerland's most important tunnels on selected weekdays should have ended at the beginning of October.
As routine work had to be interrupted in mid-September following the demolition of ceiling sections in the tunnel, additional night time closures will take place. For this reason, nighttime drivers will have to choose an alternative route for four nights until the end of October. Ten night time closures have already taken place.
The demolition of parts of the tunnel ceiling on September 10 led to a complete closure of the tunnel for five days.

Additional nighttime closures until the end of October

Nighttime closures in the Gotthard Tunnel will take place from Monday, October 23, to Friday, October 27, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night. Motorists can pass through freely on weekends. Before setting off, motorists can obtain information about the current situation on the Gotthard Motorway or other motorways in Switzerland from the ADAC’s traffic information.

Alternative routes for the Gotthard Tunnel

During nighttime closures, motorists will have to use the Gotthard Pass or the A13 Chur - Bellinzona San Bernardino route as a wide-ranging alternative. Especially if the other routes are congested, the Simplon Pass may also be an alternative. Don’t forget to purchase a regular Swiss vignette for any of those routes as they are mandatory in Switzerland.
Important: 

• The Gotthard Pass is not recommended as a detour route for vehicles with camping trailers.
• After a freight train derailment in August, the Gotthard Rail Tunnel is also currently closed to passenger traffic. Trains are being diverted via a pass route.

Nighttime closures for special transports

Independent of the maintenance work, the Gotthard Tunnel is closed once a week at night (usually from Wednesday to Thursday) between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. Special transports can pass through freely during this time.

Gotthard Tunnel: Important link to Italy

The most important road tunnel in Switzerland is used primarily by tourists traveling by car from southwestern Germany on their way to Italy or southern France. The tunnel, through which around six million vehicles pass each year, was built in 1980 and is 16.9 kilometres long. It is one of the main places in Switzerland where traffic jams occur. If congestion occurs, block clearance is in place.