Hamburg, February 21 – Motorists in the Hamburg area should prepare for extended delays until Tuesday morning. The A7 motorway has been fully closed since Friday evening for construction work. This follows daytime disruptions caused by a ver.di warning strike, which is set to resume on Monday morning.
A7 Fully Closed for Construction
The A7 is closed in both directions: towards Flensburg between Hamburg-Heimfeld and Volkspark, and towards Hanover between Hamburg-Stellingen and Heimfeld. This full closure is in effect until Monday at 5 AM. The primary reason for this closure is the installation of three new traffic sign gantries, which will be lifted and mounted with the aid of large cranes. Additionally, construction on the Altona noise barrier tunnel is being advanced.
Extensive Detours Recommended
Police advise commuters to use public transport. During the full closure for construction, a wide-ranging detour via the A1, A21, and B205 is available and signposted for through traffic and long-distance journeys in both directions.
- Coming from the South: The detour begins at the Buchholz junction/Horster Dreieck, continuing onto the A1 via the Maschener Kreuz.
- Coming from the North: Drivers should take the B205 from the Neumünster-Süd exit.
Inner-city detours will lead traffic over the Elbe bridges. The B75, often used as an alternative route to the A1, is also affected by construction. In the area of the A7 Hamburg-Marmstorf junction, the normally four-lane Bremer Straße is reduced to one lane per direction.
Large and heavy transports must bypass the A7 closure over a wide area, as passage in both directions is not possible. Bus lines 150, 250, and 611 are being rerouted by Hochbahn via the Elbe bridges.
Ongoing A7 Expansion and Future Closures
The repeated closures of the A7 are part of its expansion to eight lanes and improved noise protection. The Altona noise barrier tunnel, over two kilometers long, is expected to be completed by 2028.
Autobahn GmbH has announced further A7 closures for this year:
- March 20-23, 2026: A7 55-hour full closure (including work on Altona tunnel lid, tunnel control center work – and a 31-hour closure of Stellingen Tunnel)
- April 17-20, 2026: A7 55-hour full closure (including work on Altona tunnel lid, tunnel control center work)
- May 8-11, 2026: A7 55-hour full closure (including work on Altona tunnel lid)
- June 12-15, 2026: A7 55-hour full closure (including work on Altona tunnel lid)
- June 26-29, 2026: A7 Schnelsen Tunnel 55-hour full closure without Elbtunnel (including integration of Schnelsen Tunnel control center)
- September 11-14, 2026: A7 55-hour full closure (including work on Altona tunnel lid, tunnel control center work)
- September 25-28, 2026: A7 55-hour full closure (including work on K20 elevated road)
Warning Strike Resumes Monday Morning
On Friday, there were kilometers of traffic jams on both sides of the Elbe Tunnel after the ver.di trade union called for industrial action among employees at the Elbe Tunnel control center. One lane per direction was closed since the morning, including in the Stellingen and Schnelsen noise barrier tunnels. The warning strike will resume on Monday morning at 6 AM, once the full closure is lifted. Motorists should expect further traffic jams until the strike concludes early Tuesday morning.
Ver.di Defends Strike Timing
The ver.di trade union defends the timing of the strike in the tunnel control center, which coincides with the weekend’s full closure. Max Stempel, the union secretary responsible for Autobahn GmbH, stated that this timing is
