Published on : 14 Sep 2026
If your route to or from Italy this week runs through Switzerland after dark, tonight is the first of five consecutive nights you’ll need a different plan.
The Gotthard Road Tunnel, one of the busiest Alpine crossings in Europe and the primary north-south link between Göschenen and Airolo on the A2 motorway, closes completely tonight and for the next four nights running, from 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM, Monday, September 14 through Friday, September 18. Switzerland’s Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) has scheduled the closures as part of ongoing preventive maintenance on the tunnel’s intermediate ceiling — work intended to relieve structural tension before it can develop into unplanned restrictions or emergency closures down the line.
This is not an isolated event. It’s part of a broader 2026 maintenance program that has already seen the tunnel closed for 34 nights across March, June, August, and now September and early October, deliberately scheduled outside peak travel periods like Easter and Whitsun. Earlier this month, from September 7 to 11, the tunnel closed daily from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM; this week’s closures run on an earlier and slightly longer schedule, from 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM, continuing through the following weeks as well.
Published: September 14, 2026 — Monday Closure dates: Tonight through Friday, September 14-18, 2026 Closure hours: 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM nightly Location: Gotthard Road Tunnel, A2 motorway, between Göschenen (Uri) and Airolo (Ticino) Tunnel length: 16.9 kilometres Reason: Preventive maintenance on the tunnel’s intermediate ceiling, to relieve structural tension Authority: Swiss Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) Weekend exemption: No closures Friday night through Monday morning, to protect weekend travel 2026 total closure nights: 34, spread across March, June, August, September, and early October Primary alternative route: Gotthard Pass (open road route over the mountain, weather permitting) Secondary alternative: San Bernardino Tunnel (A13), via Hinterrhein–San Bernardino — note this route had its own closures in late August, now concluded Restriction: Gotthard Pass not recommended for vehicles towing camping trailers Requirement: Swiss vignette mandatory for all alternative routes within Switzerland Also scheduled: A separate weekly short closure, typically Wednesday to Thursday, 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM, for special transports
For anyone driving from the UK or northern Europe toward Italy — a route many British and European travelers use for everything from Alpine skiing trips to Mediterranean coastal holidays — the Gotthard corridor is close to unavoidable. It’s the primary north-south motorway link through the Swiss Alps, carrying an estimated 6 million vehicles annually. When it closes, there is no equivalent-capacity direct substitute; drivers are pushed either onto a genuine mountain pass road (weather- and vehicle-dependent) or onto a considerably longer detour via the San Bernardino Tunnel further east.
The maintenance work itself — addressing tension in the tunnel’s intermediate ceiling structure — is exactly the kind of unglamorous but safety-critical infrastructure work that doesn’t make headlines until it’s ignored for too long. ASTRA’s stated goal is explicitly preventive: addressing wear now, on a predictable nightly schedule, rather than risking an unplanned emergency closure later that could strand traffic with no notice at all.
The Gotthard Pass — the historic mountain road route directly over the Alps rather than through them — remains open as the primary recommended alternative during tonight’s and this week’s closures. This is a genuine mountain pass, meaning it’s subject to weather conditions and is explicitly not recommended for vehicles towing camping trailers or wider combination vehicles. If you’re driving a standard car and weather conditions are clear, this is generally the most direct alternative.
The San Bernardino Tunnel (A13) — a longer, more easterly route via Hinterrhein and San Bernardino — offers an alternative for wider vehicles and combinations that can’t safely use the pass route. Usefully, this tunnel had its own scheduled maintenance closures in late August (22-26 and 28 August-2 September), which have already concluded, meaning it should be available as a full alternative during this week’s Gotthard closures.
✅ Plan your crossing for daytime hours if at all possible — the tunnel operates completely normally outside the 8PM-5AM window each night this week ✅ If you must cross overnight, check current weather on the Gotthard Pass before committing to that route, given its mountain-road exposure ✅ Wide vehicles or those towing trailers should default to the San Bernardino Tunnel route rather than attempting the pass ✅ Purchase a Swiss vignette in advance if you don’t already have one — it’s mandatory on all Swiss motorway alternatives, including both detour options ✅ Build in significant extra time for either alternative route compared to the direct tunnel crossing — both add meaningful distance and, in the pass’s case, slower mountain-road driving conditions ✅ If you have a fixed hotel booking on either side of the Alps, consider accommodation with free cancellation near Airolo or Bellinzona as a buffer, in case conditions on your chosen alternative route run longer than expected
This week’s closures aren’t the last of 2026. The broader maintenance program continues with further scheduled night closures into early October, following the same general pattern of weekday-only closures with weekends kept clear for travel. If your Alps crossing falls later this autumn, it’s worth checking the current schedule again closer to your travel date rather than assuming this week’s pattern is the final word for the season.
ASTRA (Swiss Federal Roads Office): astra.admin.ch TCS (Touring Club Switzerland) live updates: tcs.ch Real-time Gotthard status: gotthard-live.ch
Related Articles:
Posted By : Vinay
This article is provided for general informational purposes only and is based on information available at the time of publication. Travel advisories, airline schedules, airport operations, visa requirements, government regulations, and other travel-related information are subject to change without prior notice. While Travel Tourister makes reasonable efforts to verify information using official announcements, government publications, airline and airport communications, and other reliable sources, we cannot guarantee that all information remains complete, accurate, or up to date at all times. Readers should independently verify any information that may affect their travel plans with the relevant airline, airport authority, government agency, embassy, or other official source before making travel, financial, or other decisions. Travel Tourister shall not be liable for any direct or indirect loss, inconvenience, or damages arising from the use of or reliance on the information contained in this article. Nothing in this publication constitutes legal, immigration, financial, or professional travel advice. If you believe any information in this article is inaccurate or outdated, please contact our editorial team. We review all credible correction requests promptly and update our content whenever appropriate.
Lastest News
2nd Floor, 39, Above Kirti Club, DLF Industrial Area, Kirti Nagar, New Delhi, Delhi 110015
Travel Tourister is a leading Travel portal where we introduce travellers to trusted travel agents to make their journey hasselfree, memorable And happy. Travel Tourister is a platform where travellers get Tour packages ,Hotel packages deals through trusted travel companies And hoteliers who are working with us across the world. We always try to find new and more travel agents and hoteliers from every nook and corners across the world so that you could compare the deals with different travel agents and hoteliers and book your tour or hotel with the one you have chosen according to your taste and budget.
Copyright © Travel Tourister, India. All Rights Reserved
Call
Enquiry