Over the weekend, storms and flooding in Switzerland caused severe damage to the A13 above Lostallo. A section of the four-lane road between the junctions of Alsois in Grisons and Bellinzona in Ticino was washed away by water and collapsed.
The Swiss Federal Office for Roads (Astra) is working to determine the exact extent of the damage. According to preliminary estimates by the police of the canton of Grisons, a 90-kilometre stretch of the A13 motorway will be ‘out of service’ for many months.
The A13 in eastern Switzerland is an important route for transports heading through the San Bernardino Pass towards Italy. It provides an alternative to the Gotthard Tunnel on the A2, which is often overloaded and regularly closed. Overnight closures for maintenance work are scheduled for this very week.
The Swiss automobile club Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) advises that depending on the trip and destination, one of the many pass roads should be used. In western Switzerland, an alternative route via the Simplon Pass is recommended for the journey to Italy. However, attention should be paid to the tonnage restrictions on the routes through the passes (details can be found on the Swiss Automobile Club website).