Switzerland’s Touring Club (TCS) traffic bulletin confirmed on Sunday evening that lane-width restrictions inside the A2 Gotthard Road Tunnel remain in force “until further notice”. Both north- and south-bound carriageways are narrowed to 5.2 metres over a 300-metre stretch to accommodate refurbishment works, with a special width allowance of 6 metres only for south-bound exceptional transports. The notice, last updated at 20:16 CET on 28 June 2026, replaces an earlier 23 June end-date. While private motorists will chiefly experience lower speed limits, the construction poses a bigger headache for logistics firms routing time-critical consignments between Germany and northern Italy. Several heavy-haul operators told Global Mobility News that permits for over-dimension vehicles now require five working days’ additional lead-time and night-time convoy escorts, adding an estimated CHF 1,200 per trip.
![Gotthard Road Tunnel lane‐width restriction extended, heightening summer freight bottlenecks]()
For international drivers and operators, making sure every passport stamp, visa and customs carnet is in order can be almost as critical as securing an escort slot in the tunnel. VisaHQ’s Switzerland page (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) streamlines those formalities, helping hauliers, tour companies and private motorists obtain the right travel documents quickly so they can focus on route planning rather than red tape.
The Gotthard corridor moves roughly two-thirds of Swiss north–south freight; any pinch-point quickly reverberates across European supply chains. Freight forwarders are redirecting hazardous-goods loads via the San Bernardino route (A13) or loading semi-trailers onto SBB Cargo’s ‘Rolling Highway’ through the 57-km Gotthard Base Tunnel, though slots there are already 90 percent booked for July. Holiday traffic is also set to surge as neighbouring German states begin school breaks next week. The Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) predicts tailbacks of up to 10 kilometres on peak Saturdays, potentially jeopardising coach tour itineraries. Travel-management companies are advising corporate shuttle providers to schedule departures before 05:30 or after 22:00 to skirt congestion. Longer-term, the CHF 2.7 billion second-tube project—due to open in 2029—should eliminate such closures. Until then, anyone moving high-value goods or assignment-household effects through the Alps should build extra transit time into customs carnets and insurance coverage.
For international drivers and operators, making sure every passport stamp, visa and customs carnet is in order can be almost as critical as securing an escort slot in the tunnel. VisaHQ’s Switzerland page (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) streamlines those formalities, helping hauliers, tour companies and private motorists obtain the right travel documents quickly so they can focus on route planning rather than red tape.
The Gotthard corridor moves roughly two-thirds of Swiss north–south freight; any pinch-point quickly reverberates across European supply chains. Freight forwarders are redirecting hazardous-goods loads via the San Bernardino route (A13) or loading semi-trailers onto SBB Cargo’s ‘Rolling Highway’ through the 57-km Gotthard Base Tunnel, though slots there are already 90 percent booked for July. Holiday traffic is also set to surge as neighbouring German states begin school breaks next week. The Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) predicts tailbacks of up to 10 kilometres on peak Saturdays, potentially jeopardising coach tour itineraries. Travel-management companies are advising corporate shuttle providers to schedule departures before 05:30 or after 22:00 to skirt congestion. Longer-term, the CHF 2.7 billion second-tube project—due to open in 2029—should eliminate such closures. Until then, anyone moving high-value goods or assignment-household effects through the Alps should build extra transit time into customs carnets and insurance coverage.
