The snow is gone, the weather is warm - time to repair the road surface! Photo: Montreux-Roche rest stop on the A9, with beautiful views of the Alps
BERN, SWITZERLAND – The spring season for roadworks is about to open, with the Swiss federal government spending CHF2.1 billion this year on national roads, CHF1.3b of which goes for road maintenance.
An additional CHF90 million is being spent to reduce traffic jams in two areas, Zoug (Blegi-Rütihof) and the Härkingen-Wiggertal stretch in eastern Switzerland (A1/A2).
The A9 Montreux-Roche area will be one of those afffected by maintenance, with the Chillon viaducts under repair (details on GenevaLunch once the highway department posts them).
The others are:
- A1 Zurich Est-Effretikon (ZH)
- A5 Colombier-Cornaux (NE)
- A13, replacement of the surface, Thusis Sud-Isla Bella (GR).
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Weekend drivers heading in the direction of Valais from Lausanne on the A1 are being urged by Vaud police to use extra caution in the Blecherette-Venne area, with changes to the lanes Friday, as part of ongoing roadworks. Part, but not all, of the lane-marking work after resurfacing was done during the nights of Wednesday to Thursday, causing some confusion Thursday.
The right lane, shortly after the Blecherette exit is now an exit-only lane and drivers must get off the autoroute at Venne (hospitals exit) if they are in that lane: police point out that switching back to the other lanes across hatched markings is extremely dangerous and illegal; they will be watching traffic for this.
Drivers heading in the direction of Vevey and Valais must use the two left lanes.
BERN, SWITZERLAND – The Simplon pass between Switzerland and Italy is likely to be slower than usual from now until November, with one lane closed just above Brig, while an emergency lane is built. The roadworks are part of a package for the A9 autoroute to Italy.
During the day six lanes remain open, with reduced speeds; at night only three lanes in total are open, one in the direction of Vevey and two in the direction of Geneva
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The re-blacktopping of the A9 autoroute between Lausanne and Vevey, a 20-odd kilometre stretch, is being done at night but police say the lack of marking and the number of heavy work vehicles parked on the side of the road during the day is behind the 60 kph speed limit for several areas. And starting Monday 15 August they will be enforcing that limit between the St Croix junction and Vennes, 7.7km in the direction of Vevey, with random speed checks.
Some 90,000 vehicles use the road daily.
The roadworks and slower limit will be in force until November. Police say they will continue their speed checks until then. The construction work began 19 May, with speed reduced initially to 80 kph. In the first 12 weeks police took away 102 drivers licenses for speeding (final decision from the cantonal highway department yet to be made) between Lausanne and Villeneuve. Of the 215,662 vehicles checked, 3,929 drivers, or 1.82 percent, were reported for speeding, during the 32 radar sessions run by the police.
Speed limits enforced for foreign cars as well as Swiss
Two drivers were caught going 140 kph, on 9 June and 21 July, in 80 kph zones.
Swiss speeding fines range from CHF20 to 260 for going 5 to 25 kph over the limit; after that they jump considerably and the driver risks losing his or her license plus prison time for very high speeds.
Swiss police and those from several other European countries, including France and Germany, have a data swap programme covering drivers licenses and fines, through a system called Eucaris.
Road is 41 years old, has 90,000 cars a day
The A9 between St Croix and Vennes was built in 1970, then enlarged to six lanes between 1995 and 1997. The current construction work is reinforcing the layer underneath the road surface as well as resurfacing.
Details, A9 St Croix-Vennes roadworks
Vaud police say they have lifted 66 licenses for speeding in roadworks area near Lausanne; the lower speed limit also keeps traffic moving more smoothly they say
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Canton Vaud police say they have taken away 66 drivers licenses, 11 a week, since 19 May on the stretch of A9 autoroute between Lausanne and Villeneuve, for speeding.
The speed limit of 80kph is well marked in several areas to protect workers and there are signs saying the section is checked by radar, plus a sign at each end notes how many licenses have been lifted for not obeying the lower than usual limits.
The worst offender was going 140kph, the 9th of June.
In addition, police have handed out 2,591 speeding tickets, out of more than 97,000 cars on the road: 2.65 percent of drivers are speeding in the area.
The lower speed limits have been set to protect road workers.
Police caution that lower speed limits will also be in effect on the Lausanne ring road from 15 July to 15 October, when road works are underway there.
The work on the A9 continues until November; details on the Swiss autoroutes web site.
Other stretches of Swiss autoroute are studying the Morges-Lausanne solution of adding 2 lanes during rush hour
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Projects such as the third rail line between Vaud and Geneva, considered urgent in the region but far down the long 20-year list of Swiss transport projects, will now be able, in exceptional cases, to get advance funding. The lower house of the Swiss parliament Tuesday joined the upper house in voting to extend CHF850 million in credit to the transport infrastructure fund, to avoid a cash flow crunch as projects become urgent ahead of their scheduled funding. The third rail line is one such exceptional case, with population and workforce growth in the region outstripping planning figures.
The fund was created in 2008 to finance special projects designed to reduce road traffic congestion in cities, larger urban areas and on the autoroutes.
Parliament also voted to spend CHF1.51 billion on 26 projects to improve transport in urban areas. Some CHF1.51 of the money goes to the most urgent projects to reduce traffic jams on autoroutes.
Night work on A1
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) – Continuing roadworks on the A1 between Morges and Ecublens, near Lausanne, will cause disruptions 25-31 July, while traffic signal systems are reinstalled.
Traffic will be reduced to one lane each direction during the nights of Sunday and Monday, with no traffic problems foreseen.
The highway will also be down to one lane each direction Monday afternoon and evening from 14:00-20:00, with delays of 10-15 minutes expected, according to the federal highway department.
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The A1 autoroute, already slowed considerably by major summer roadworks, was badly jammed Monday 19 July in the early afternoon by an accident involving a military convoy between Yverdon and Lausanne, in the direction of Lausanne.
A military truck with trailer veered to the right and off the road, flipping over and injuring three of the four soldiers, near the Bavois truck stop. A Neuchatel car hit the trailer, but its occupant was uninjured.
The stretch of road where the accident occurred is open but hilly. Police have not yet determined the cause of the accident.
A1 Autoroute
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The federal highway office and canton Vaud Tuesday issued a reminder to motorists using the A1 autoroute between Morges and Lausanne: the 80 kph speed limit must be observed, and drivers should keep at least 50 metres between cars.
The warning comes as roadworks get underway to repair the road surface, for workers’ safety. The re-surfacing will take about a month and the road is reduced to one lane on each side at times.
Three lanes: now two again, for a month, on the A1 near Morges-Lausanne
Morges, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Prepare for summer traffic jams: the A1 autoroute between Morges Ouest (west) and Lausanne is about to undergo surgery that will last until 25 June. The facelift reduces traffic to two lanes in each direction fom 06:00-20:00 and one lane each way during the night.
The A1 has operated far more smoothly since the start of 2010 when months of roadworks were completed, giving it three lanes in each direction during rush hour. The combination of heavy equipment and a colder than usual winter damaged the surface of the existing lanes, however, and these now need to be removed and the roads re-covered. The highway department notes that even when it appears that there are no workers the lanes are closed for a good reason, as it can take several days for the surface to harden fully.
The new roadworks will add to the headaches of travellers between Morges and Villeneuve, given the heavy roadworks scheduled along the A9 between Lausanne and Villeneuve. Long stretches in each direction have been reduced to a single lane.
Trams around the station, Blvd Georges Favon and Rives Droite will stop over Easter
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Roadworks around Geneva’s main train station, Gare Cornavin, in Geneva will shift Friday 2 April into a critical phase for connecting the new Cornavin-Onex-Bernex tram line. Trams around the station will not run from Friday morning to Monday night 5 April. The stoppage will also affect trams in the Rive Droite area and along Boulevard Georges Favon, reports the Tribune de Geneve (Fre).
Nyon, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The A1 autoroute will be closed between Nyon and Gland Wednesday night 17 February on the lake side of the road, heading towards Lausanne, from 21:00-05:00. Roadworks which have been going on since late January to repair a damaged bridge joint will be finished on the lake side by 18 February. The road will be closed again 25 February on the Jura side, heading towards Geneva, also from 21:00-05:00, to finish the roadworks and remove equipment.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Work on the new tram line between the Cornavin train station and Bernex at 21-22 January provoked a water leak from the Rhone river. Workers have been repairing the leak and cleaning up flooding that affected several cellars on the street, near the Place Bel-air. Traffic has been rerouted in the area while the work goes on, expected to last through the day Monday.
Geneva to Lausanne traffic slowed significantly Wednesday afternoon, evening
Nyon, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The A1 autoroute from Geneva to Lausanne came close to a standstill late Wednesday afternoon thanks to urgent repairs on the Pont de l’Asse bridge, before Nyon. The joints on the bridge were repaired urgently some days ago, and the temporary measure was expected to last until a more permanent solution, scheduled for the end of January. The temporary patch did not hold, however, and the Tribune de Geneve quotes a spokesperson for the federal roads office as saying they will use fast-drying glue and a plate to cover the problem area.
Roadworks will last 40 days on A1
A1 autoroute roadworks near Morges, Switzerland
Morges / Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Workers have now completed a key part of the roadworks to widen the A1 autoroute between Morges and Lausanne thanks to a series of night closings. A system of 120 variable signs and 40 fixed ones have been put in place, a system with 8 kilometres of cables and 850 electrical connections.
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Ongoing roadworks on the A9 between Vennes and Villeneuve will slow down traffic between 9:00 and 16:00 every day, but two lanes will be open during rush hours. The Fedro, Federal Roads Office, has a site dedicated to these roadworks. Roadworks between Morges and Ecublens to build a third lane in the emergency lane are also ongoing.
Intercity trains between Olten and Basel (Ger) will not run some nights after 21:30 from 31 August to 30 October, the CFF announced 26 August, due to a refurbishment of the tracks. Alternatives are the Interregional trains and the S-3 light rail train. And for commuters in Lausanne the stretch between Lausanne and La Conversion will be shut down completely from 4 September at 20:30 to 7 September at 05:30, says the CFF.
New temporary stoppages
Morges, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The A1 autoroute between Morges and Lausanne and the A9 between Montreux and Villeneuve will be closed Tuesday night to allow major roadworks. From 20:30 to 05:30 the A1 in the direction of Geneva will be closed, with traffic moved to the lake road. A lane will be left open in the direction of Lausanne. Emergency joints work on the Lausanne-Villeneuve stretch will require closing the A9 three times this week in the direction of Villeneuve, the first time Tuesday night, from 22:00 ot 05:30, from Chexbres to Villeneuve. Traffic will be rerouted to the lake road.
Background: “Autoroute works to begin Monday“, 02 July 2009, GenevaLunch
Morges on the A1 autoroute
Valais traffic jam: driver watches a movie on his dashboard
Lake Geneva region, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - If you’re driving on the A1 Geneva-Lausanne or the A9 Lausane-Valais this weekend, build in extra time, no matter where you’re going, if the trip involves the autoroute.
For the past few days roadworks have been creating tailbacks around Morges (mostly small), between Vevey and Villeneuve (mostly acute on the lake side) and around St Maurice (moderate to bad) on the Italian Alps side.
Median strip and emergency bands on the A1 near Morges are being removed to widen the road to six lanes
Morges, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The roadworks to enlarge the A1 autoroute between Morges and Lausanne are on schedule, with no major incidents to report during the major holiday departures at the start of July, says the Swiss Highways Office in its latest update on the project’s progress.
The work to build three emergency stops areas on the Jura side of the road (direction: Lausanne-Geneva) will be completed by August, and cables have now been laid for the automatic traffic data and alerts.
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The roadworks announced several weeks ago for the stretch of A9 autoroute between Vennes, above Lausanne, and Villeneuve to the east of the city, begin Monday 6 July. Traffic will be diverted to makeshift lanes for several months, slowing traffic to 100 kph for much of the stretch. Details, A9 autoroute, Fre
Morges, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The A1 autoroute was completely closed to traffic between Tuesday night 2 June from 20:30 and 05:30 Wednesday morning, in both directions between Morges-Ouest and Ecublens. The highly unusual move by the federal roads department was made to allow the second of phase of work to begin. The project to enlarge the highway from four to six lanes began in early May and will last until December 2010.
The second phase, in June and July, will rebuild the Jura side of the road, Lausanne-Geneva direction. The work involves:
There was less traffic back when this Geneva license plate was issued
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Drivers on the A9 stretch between Lausanne-Vennes and Villeneuve, the main route into the Valais, can expect delays for four months starting 15 June as urgent repairs are made to joints in several places. The road will be reduced to one lane in each direction, starting on the lake side of the road in June and on the other side in August. Two lanes but with slower speeds will be open during peak traffic hours. This stretch of autoroute has long been scheduled for major renovation from 2014-2017 due to general deterioration, and in November 2008 it was briefly closed for emergency repairs.
The new roadworks will further increase travel time in the Lausanne region, with speed limits reduced to 80kph between Morges and Ecublens due to major construction from May to December 2009.
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Best alternative: parking lot
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Geneva is not always an easy city if you’re driving, but at the moment some parts of town are more confusing than others, if you’re an out of town visitor trying to find the centre.
Good luck to drivers coming in a few days for the Geneva Motor Show.
