Weekend traffic gridlock returns, clogging highways. - Congested roadways once more on extended holiday break
Get Ready for Gridlock: Pentecost Weekend Splashdown - Autobahns Overloaded Again
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Come the weekend after next, the Pentecost holidays - and the wrath of traffic jams - loom over North Rhine-Westphalia once more. Warnings of "extreme congestion" and an "increased risk of gridlock" from the Westphalian Autobahn GmbH have sent shivers down the spines of weary travelers. Nonetheless, according to the ADAC, the Pentecost weekend won't be among the year's most congested.
That being stated, the Deutsche Bahn anticipates rail commuters to be hit particularly hard, especially at the beginning of the long weekend. To top it all off, the crucial ICE route linking Hamm to Hannover will be shut down from late Friday evening for a whole week due to construction work.
These motorway mambojimbos are most likely to erupt during the Friday afternoon period between 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM. Short-haul motorists and commuters will hit the road en masse, the ADAC foreshadows. Flexible travelers should opt for setting off in the evening hours.
On Pentecost Sunday, motorways will see scant traffic. Conversely, Pentecost Monday has generally witnessed minimal setbacks in the recent past, with schools in North Rhine-Westphalia offering a Pentecost hiatus on the Tuesday as well.
Arguably, construction sites may emerge as the diciest hanging fruit for motorists, particularly on NRW's numerous autobahns. On Friday evening at 10:00 PM, the heavily frequented A42 in the Ruhr area will close in both directions due to bridge construction work between Bottrop-Süd and Essen-Nord. The shutdown, slated to last until June 6 at 5:00 AM, will see an industrial bridge crossed by the Rhine-Herne Canal and the autobahn be demolished and rebuilt with a greater span. This stretch of the motorway will be expanded to six lanes necessitating extra space during reconstruction.
Train Woe-fairies
For travelers of the rails, the ICE line heading to Hannover could prove a thorn in the side, with a railway bridge modernization scheduled to close part of the route from Friday evening (10:00 PM). During this period, long-distance trains will be redirected and will skip Gütersloh, Bielefeld, Bad Oeynhausen, and Minden through June 13 (11:00 PM).
Local transport fares the brunt of the closures, with trains on lines RE6, RE70, RE78, RB61, RB71, RB72, and RB77 affected. Passengers will be compelled to take detours or make do with substitute buses.
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During the upcoming Pentecost weekend, commuters may encounter extreme congestion on the autobahns of North Rhine-Westphalia, particularly on Friday afternoon and through the evening hours. Meanwhile, train travel may be disrupted with closures affecting the ICE line to Hannover and several local railway lines, necessitating detours or substitute buses. Thus, it might be advisable for both motorists and train travelers to adjust their lifestyles and travel plans according to the community and employment policies in place to minimize disruptions caused by the construction works and high traffic demand.
