The Brenner motorway is now freely accessible again after being closed for hours

The closure had lasted since midday and more than 150 trucks had to be towed under the most difficult conditions. Around 70 centimeters of fresh snow had fallen.

• More on this: Snow chaos on the Brenner Pass: Motorway still closed in the evening

Poorly equipped heavy vehicles

The closure stretched back from the Innsbruck-Amras motorway junction to the Brenner Pass. According to the state, the disruptions were caused by several “poorly equipped heavy vehicles” that got stuck on the highway. Other trucks tried to overtake these vehicles and also got stuck. These truck drivers used the second and third lanes despite driving and overtaking bans. The path was blocked for cars and especially clearing vehicles and it was no longer possible to get through. As a result, heavy vehicles had to be towed individually from a section of around three kilometers – with continued snowfall – with great effort. The vehicles were no longer able to drive away independently on the slopes.

As a precautionary measure, special towing teams were positioned along the route – these were supposed to get the trucks running again, Asfinag spokesman Alexander Holzedl explained in the afternoon. The motorway operator was in constant use with around 30 clearing vehicles. Due to the special circumstances, the night driving ban for trucks has been suspended, the country announced.

300 people stuck in traffic for up to 10 hours

300 people who were stuck in a traffic jam for up to ten hours were cared for by numerous emergency services, including 50 from the Red Cross. They distributed tea, other drinks, snacks and sweets. 213 affected people were ultimately cared for in the Innsbruck Olympiaworld, 46 of whom spent the night there, it was said. The state of Tyrol’s civil protection service and helpers from the city of Innsbruck were also on duty. The police and fire brigade were also on hand with 90 and 50 personnel respectively.

According to the online portal “stol.it”, the Brenner motorway on the Italian and South Tyrolean side was also at least temporarily closed from the Vipiteno toll station in the north direction. The Brenner Road (B 182) from Innsbruck towards Brenner between the A 13 Innsbruck-Süd exit and Matrei am Brenner was also initially not passable.

• Also read: Stuck trucks: Brenner motorway closed on Friday due to snowfall

Transit Forum Austria-Tirol: “Tirolean chaos politics”

Incidentally, the block caused trouble at the Transit Forum Austria-Tirol. It was known that there was a risk of heavy snowfall, and chairman Fritz Gurgiser criticized the lack of precautions and described “Tyrolean chaos politics”. Rather, we will “watch until the A13 with trucks parked across it is no longer in use.” Gurgiser criticized that high, avoidable economic costs would now arise and placed Tyrol at a “hot spot”.

Meanwhile, the fresh snow also caused problems elsewhere in Tyrol: traffic jams were also recorded on the Inntal motorway (A12) near Kufstein in the direction of Bavaria. There were also delays on Zillertalstrasse (B169), Stubaitalstrasse (B183) and Seefelder Strasse (B177), among others. After a traffic accident involving several vehicles, Sellraintalstrasse (L13) between Gries and Sellrain also had to be closed in both directions. And on the Felbertauern toll road in East Tyrol there was a total closure for all vehicles between the Felbertauern tunnel and Mittersill.

Snow chains were required, among other things, on the Arlbergstrasse (B197) between St. Anton am Arlberg and Alpe Rauz in both directions, on the Tuxer Strasse (L6) between Hintertux and Kaltenbach and on the Sellraintalstrasse (L13) between Zirl and Kühtai.

In the meantime the power supply was also interrupted

In the meantime, the fresh snow also had a local impact on the power supply. According to media reports, over 500 households were without power for a short time in four towns in the central Zillertal and in Gallzein near Jenbach. According to the state’s own network operator Tinetz, the reason was trees that fell on lines due to the wet snow. By the afternoon, the majority of the affected households had already been supplied again.

“Great danger”: avalanche warning level 4 declared

The forecast amounts of fresh snow for Tyrol also caused the risk of avalanches to increase sharply on Friday. In the eastern and southeastern parts of the country, avalanche warning level 4 on the five-part scale was issued above the tree line. This meant that there was “great danger”. In large parts of Tyrol, the avalanche danger was assessed as “significant” (level 3). A major avalanche danger was also warned for Saturday in large parts of the state.

Meanwhile, the snow also had an impact in two other federal states. In Carinthia, the Wurzenpass road (B109), which connects Villach and Kranjska Gora (Slovenia), was completely closed in the afternoon. Chains were required on Katschberg Straße (B99), on Turracher Straße (B95), on Weißensee Straße (B87) between Weißbriach and Greifenburg and on Nassfeld Straße (B90) at the Italian border. The Villach Alpine Road was already closed from midday, and this closure is expected to last until Saturday.

Accidents and roadblocks also in Salzburg

In Salzburg, on the other hand, snowfall caused accidents and road closures in the southern parts of the country from mid-afternoon onwards. As the police announced, snow chains were required for all vehicles traveling over the Radstädter Tauern (B99) and over the Thurn Pass (B161) near Mittersill. Both routes were also closed for a short time. At around 3 p.m., the Rauriser Landesstraße and the Embacher Landesstraße were also closed. According to the police, there were initially minor accidents with property damage, mainly because the drivers did not comply with the snow chain requirement.

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