An 8-kilometre traffic jam formed on the A7 motorway on Friday morning, according to the Motorway Traffic Control and Information Service (CITA). The congestion is due to emergency roadworks prompted by an “abnormal deterioration” of ventilation fans in the Grouft and Stafelter tunnels.
The National Roads Authority announced the preventative measures on Thursday, 29 January, stating that a technical problem necessitated traffic restrictions in the tunnels “until further notice”. The repercussions were immediate, with CITA reporting a tailback stretching to the Lorentzweiler roundabout by Friday morning.
Traffic was further disrupted by an accident at approximately 7.40am just before the Stafelter tunnel in the direction of Luxembourg City, which blocked the hard shoulder.
The Luxembourg Motoring Association (ACL) advises drivers to exercise caution: “In traffic jams, please keep your distance, do not overtake, avoid sudden braking and lane changes, and drive carefully.”
The disruption stems from a recent tunnel maintenance campaign, during which agents from the National Roads Authority discovered significant wear on the fan blades in the Grouft tunnel. As a precaution, identical speed and lane restrictions were also applied to the neighbouring Stafelter tunnel, which uses equipment from the same manufacturer and generation.
The enforced measures are:
The Authority stated these restrictions would remain in place “until further notice” and emphasised that regulations for heavy goods vehicles remain in force, prohibiting transit vehicles from leaving the A7. It also warned that the reduced speed limit is “monitored by automatic speed cameras”.
