Cars also stuck

Trucks in the snow chaos: crisis summit needed now

The truck chaos at the Brenner Pass last Friday has repercussions.

(Bild: ASFINAG (Webcam))

After the transit snow chaos on the Brenner Pass last week, the freeway operator Asfinag feels it has been unfairly criticized. Now the chaos is to be dealt with. After all, the Brenner highway, one of the most important north-south connections, was closed for more than ten hours. 

The Brenner highway was closed for more than ten hours due to snow chaos: Tyrolean politics is not immune to this. As reported, more than 100 stuck trucks had to be towed away one by one, tens of drivers were also stuck and had to be treated by the Red Cross. The entire operation is now to be discussed by all those involved. A meeting is to follow shortly.

As is usual after such incidents, Asfinag and all the organizations involved will analyze the situation in detail in order to implement improvements where necessary.

Alexander Holzedl, Asfinag-Sprecher

20 snow clearing vehicles in continuous operation
The freeway operator Asfinag emphasized on Monday that "all winter service resources were deployed on time and comprehensively last Friday". More than 20 winter service vehicles were also in continuous use in the morning hours after the night. "There was already around 50 centimetres of fresh snow by midday, and despite the heavy precipitation, there were no obstructions up to this point," emphasizes Asfinag spokesman Alexander Holzedl.

Asfinag praises, opposition criticizes
The traffic standstill was caused by trucks that had overtaken stationary trucks despite the driving ban and then also failed to make any progress. As a result, clearing teams could no longer get through. As a result, a fleet of ten recovery vehicles had to be deployed to get the trucks back on the road. "It also had to be determined individually on site which vehicles could drive to the site independently and which required assistance."

All the organizations involved did a good job in dealing with the incidents. However, the FPÖ, NEOS and Transitforum recently voiced harsh criticism.