A8 southbound closure in Wels starts tunnel repairs
Tuesday 15th September 2026 on 21:45 in
Austria
The Innkreis motorway A8 is closed southbound between Wels-West and the Voralpenkreuz interchange because of tunnel repairs, ORF reported. The closure began at 7 a.m. on Tuesday and is expected to last until the end of June 2027.
Drivers travelling from Germany, the Innviertel region or Wels towards the Pyhrn motorway A9 or the West motorway A1 towards Salzburg must use a detour. The signed route leads via the Welser motorway A25 to the Haid interchange and then along the A1 towards Voralpenkreuz.
The Welser Westspange is also restricted to one lane in the direction of Passau until October 31. ASFINAG said two lanes would be available again in that direction from November 1.
The Neuzmühle and Steinhaus tunnels are undergoing extensive repairs. ASFINAG said fire safety requirements currently make it impossible to keep one lane open in each direction while the work is under way. The technical upgrades are intended to make that possible in the future.
Christian Eckhardt, ASFINAG’s regional manager for Upper Austria, said the repairs were essential because the safety equipment was up to 25 years old. The ventilation system in particular must be replaced, he said, because it is too weak for the tunnel to receive approval in its current condition.
ASFINAG said it was investing 110 million euros in the project. The second construction phase is scheduled to run from autumn 2027 until summer 2028, when traffic should be able to pass through the tunnels on at least one lane in each direction. The project is due to be completed before the 2028 summer holidays. A construction break for holiday traffic is planned for summer 2027.
It remains unclear whether all truck drivers will follow the official detour. Trucks weighing more than 3.5 tonnes are generally prohibited from driving through Wels.
Wels transport councillor Stefan Ganzert of the Social Democratic Party said enforcement was the police’s responsibility. He said additional measures could slow other traffic in the city.
The Caravan trade fair in a month, followed later by the Agraria agricultural fair and the Wels Christmas World, are expected to put the arrangements to the test. The city is advising visitors to travel by train where possible.