Autobahn chaos in NRW: traffic jams, closures and construction sites in February 2025!

Autobahn chaos in NRW: traffic jams, closures and construction sites in February 2025!

in North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous federal state in Germany, the highways are often affected by traffic jams and delays. The A1, A3, A57 and A61 in particular are characterized by regular traffic problems. Various construction sites and diversions can currently be observed in the large traffic hubs, especially in Cologne, Düsseldorf and in the Ruhr area. This is a significant challenge for the commuters who rely on the highways. For example, the A1 near Cologne on February 11th and 12th had to be taken for a full closure between the Cologne-West motorway junction and the Köln-Bocklemünd junction, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. to carry out necessary repair work.

Currently there are several construction sites that restrict traffic. The A45 at Lüdenscheid has been completely blocked since December 2021, and this is expected to remain so by the end of 2026. The reason for this long blocking is the upcoming demolition of the dilapidated A45-Talbrücke Rahmede in May. The A59 near Düsseldorf is also affected: a blocking towards Monheim has been carried out here for almost a week since January 27th. Another annoyance for drivers is the full closure of the A544 near Aachen towards Cologne, which has existed since July 24, 2023 and is expected to last until January 2026.

Current traffic disruptions

In addition to the long -term construction sites, many short -term construction sites take place on the weekend from January 31 to February 2, 2025. The ADAC NRW gives an overview of the current closures and diversions. Particularly noteworthy is a bottleneck between the Hagen-West and Volmarstein junctions in the direction of Bremen, where only two traces are free. This is expected to stay that way until summer 2025.

On Friday, January 31, further closures will occur on various motorway connections from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

• A45, direction of travel Frankfurt, on A1 towards Bremen.
• A1, direction of travel Bremen, on A45 towards Dortmund.
• A1, direction of travel Bremen, on A45 towards Frankfurt.

In addition, the Kaiserberg motorway junction in the direction of Venlo from Friday, January 31, 9 p.m. to Monday, February 2, 5 a.m.

long -term traffic forecasts

The impairments of the traffic flow are not only due to the current construction sites. Long -term projects, such as the new buildings of bridges, also ensure continuing tensions in traffic. For example, a full closure for up to five years is expected between Lüdenscheid-Nord and Lüdenscheid in both directions. Traffic is guided through special needs. Long -distance transport is recommended to avoid the closure over the A1, A3, A4, A44 and A7.

The traffic counts that are carried out every five years on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport also show the need for such construction measures. Different types of vehicle are recorded in these counts, including buses, trucks, motorcycles, cars and bicycles. The results flow into the traffic development and emission calculation and are of great interest for research institutions and citizens' initiatives Strassen.nrw.de .

Overall, the situation on the motorways in North Rhine-Westphalia remains tense, with both short-term and long-term closures influence the volume of traffic sustainably. Drivers should regularly find out about current construction sites and diversions in order to be able to plan better.