A8 near Wels to close for nearly 10 months

The A8 Innkreis motorway will be closed towards Voralpenkreuz between Wels-West and the Voralpenkreuz interchange until the end of June 2027, ORF reported. The closure begins on Tuesday morning as the Motorways and Expressways Financing Corporation, known as ASFINAG, starts a major refurbishment of the Noitzmühle and Steinhaus tunnels.

The southbound carriageway will be completely closed from about 8.30 a.m. after the morning rush hour. Electronic signs will begin directing traffic away from the Welser Westspange during the night.

ASFINAG said the tunnels are not yet technically equipped to carry traffic in both directions. During the first construction phase, traffic will be diverted via the A25 Welser motorway towards Linz and Vienna to the Haid interchange, then via the A1 West motorway towards Salzburg and Voralpenkreuz.

Closure overlaps with Wels garden show

The closure will overlap with the state garden show in Wels, which runs from April 2 to September 27, 2027. Six garden areas are planned across more than 22 hectares, and the city expects hundreds of thousands of additional visitors over several months. Almost 300,000 people attended the 2025 state garden show in Schärding.

Traffic around Wels could be particularly heavy during the event. ASFINAG expects increased traffic on the diversion route towards Linz and Vienna, while significant additional traffic is also expected on the B137 and B138 through Wels.

To ease bottlenecks, the turning lane, or deceleration lane, at the Wels-Nord exit will be extended to about one kilometre. Other construction projects along the diversion route are also due to be completed beforehand, including noise protection work at Wels-Wimpassing and Marchtrenk and work on ÖBB railway bridges near Wels-Ost.

Second construction phase to use contraflow

The second phase of the tunnel refurbishment is scheduled to begin in mid-September 2027. By then, the ventilation systems are expected to have been modernised enough to allow traffic in both directions through one tunnel tube, eliminating the need for a complete closure of one carriageway. The work is scheduled to continue until the end of June 2028.

ASFINAG said it is investing about 110 million euros in refurbishment and road safety in the Wels area.