With the start of school holidays, traffic on the A11 Karawanken motorway has surged, triggering kilometre-long tailbacks at the Karawankentunnel border crossing between Rosenbach (AT) and Jesenice (SI). Live data collected at 04:00 CET on 30 June already showed waiting times exceeding 60 minutes for southbound vehicles. Slowenian police are operating intermittent controls to enforce vehicle spacing inside the one-tube tunnel, while Austrian authorities continue spot checks focused on people smuggling. The Karawankentunnel is a notorious bottleneck because opposing traffic shares a single bore until the second tube opens in spring 2026. Heavy tourist flows to Croatia and Italy, combined with holidaymakers returning north, exacerbate congestion. Forwarders report that some truck drivers are diverting via Tarvisio or the Loibl Pass, although both alternatives involve additional tolls and steep gradients. For corporate mobility planners the delays present a real-time cost: per diem allowances rise, scheduled deliveries risk missing just-in-time windows and duty-of-care obligations require dynamic routing. Mobility advisers suggest booking ÖBB-SZ cross-border rail tickets or scheduling departures outside the Friday-to-Sunday peak. Longer term relief will come when the second tunnel tube opens and traffic can be fully segregated, boosting hourly capacity from 1,200 to 2,800 vehicles. Until then, companies are urged to include at least 90 minutes contingency in itineraries that cross the Karawanken corridor during July and August.
Source: Reisereporter
