Black Saturday: Massive traffic jams expected on busiest road day of summer vacation

Thinking about hitting the road in search of some sunshine this weekend? Make sure you check the traffic information first, ANWB warned. The travelers’ organization expects tomorrow will be Black Saturday - the busiest travel day of the summer.

The ANWB expects particularly long traffic jams in France on Saturday due to both departing and returning holidaymakers. The traffic problems will mainly occur around Bordeaux, on the A7 between Lyon and Orange, and on the Route du Soleil between Paris and Marseille. The A9 will likely also be backed up from the Spanish border.

Roadworks will cause problems in Germany. Work is ongoing at over 1,400 locations in the country, for example, on the routes to the North Sea and Baltic Sea, in the south of the country, and at the border crossing in Austria.

The ANWB also expects traffic problems in Austria and Switzerland. On the A11, traffic will build up at the Tauern and Karawanks tunnel toward Slovenia. And in Switzerland, the St Gotthard tunnel on the A2 will be the biggest bottleneck. “The waiting time here can be several hours.”

The roads toward the lakes and coast in northern Italy have been remarkably busy for weeks, and the ANWB expects no different this weekend. There will be traffic in both directions on the A22, the Brenner Pass, and long traffic jams can be expected on the A1/A14 Milan-Rimini, and the A4 Milan-Verona.

The worst traffic jams should be between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., the ANWB expects.

If you do go on a road trip this weekend, take lots of snacks and water, make sure your mobile devices are charged, and check your air condition before departure, the ANWB advised. If at all possible, make the trip in two days rather than one. And get a toll badge; it saves a lot of time.