A4 tunnel: Eastbound opening planned at the start of the vacations

Traffic is expected to be able to flow through the A4 Königshainer Berge tunnel in the direction of Görlitz and Poland again from the end of next week and with the start of the Christmas vacations. Autobahn GmbH expects that the Federal Highway Authority will have assessed the test results from the weekend by then and issued the operating permit, as spokesman Tino Möhring said.

For a functional test of the technology and a final fire test, Autobahn GmbH closed the tunnel completely from Friday evening until 10 p.m. on Sunday at the latest. Afterwards, both directions of travel will pass through the north tunnel as before.

"We naturally assume that the tests will all be successful and that everything will work," said Tino Möhring, spokesperson for Autobahn GmbH. The opening before Christmas is the most important thing due to the expected increase in traffic before the holidays.

Refurbishment underway since March 2024

The Königshainer Berge tunnel has been fitted with new safety equipment since March 2024 in order to meet the increased requirements since its completion in 1999. Among other things, new emergency call cabins and more sensors for early fire detection were installed.

Traffic was routed alternately in one lane in both directions through one of the two tunnel tubes while work was taking place in the other tunnel tube. Full closures were also repeatedly necessary.

One lane in the direction of Dresden until mid-January

The north tunnel in the direction of Dresden has been ready since February. However, only one lane will be open there until mid-January after the south tunnel is opened.

Before the road is fully open, drivers will have to prepare for a final full closure from January 13 to 15. This is due to the conversion work on the traffic routing, for example the mobile partition wall has to be dismantled. Should anything be found faulty during the evaluation of the tests in the south tunnel, this would also be an opportunity to make adjustments. From January 16, all four lanes are expected to be open.

Germany's fourth-longest freeway tunnel

According to Autobahn GmbH, 30,000 vehicles pass through the Königshainer Berge tunnel every day, 40 percent of which are heavy goods vehicles. At around 3.3 kilometers in length, it is the fourth longest freeway tunnel in Germany. Between the Nieder Seifersdorf and Kodersdorf junctions, it passes under a landscape conservation area.