Highways in Switzerland: The Swiss highway infrastructure, dating back to the 1960s, can no longer meet the mobility and economic growth needs of the country. Federal Councillor Albert Rösti, head of the DETEC (Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy, and Communications), has emphasized that the population increase and the consequent rise in road traffic require urgent measures to upgrade the national road network.
According to Rösti, Switzerland currently has around nine million inhabitants, a figure that puts pressure on highways designed for a population of six million.
Since 1990, traffic has doubled, and only 3% of national roads handle 70% of commercial traffic and 41% of private traffic, causing frequent congestion and economic losses of around 3 billion Swiss francs annually. This is compounded by noise, pollution, and bypass traffic burdening town centers, reducing safety and hindering public transportation.
Highway Expansion Plan: 4.9 billion francs to upgrade six key sections
Ahead of the November 24 referendum, Rösti advocates for the approval of a project to expand six highway sections, with a total cost of 4.9 billion francs.
The project, funded by the National Roads and Agglomeration Traffic Fund, includes work on critical arteries such as the A1 between Bern-Wankdorf and Schönbühl, which will be expanded from six to eight lanes, and the widening to three lanes in each direction of the section between Le Vengeron and Nyon.
Other works include the construction of new tunnels and the expansion of existing ones in areas such as Basel, Schaffhausen, and St. Gallen.
Despite criticism from environmental organizations, Rösti has pointed out that the progressive electrification of the vehicle fleet will help reduce CO2 emissions. Moreover, targeted interventions like those proposed will alleviate congestion, improving air quality and road safety, as already demonstrated with the construction of the third bore of the Gubrist tunnel. Rösti has also promised that the approximately 8 hectares of agricultural land used for the works will be compensated with land of equal quality.
Highways in Switzerland
In Switzerland, the highway network consists of 1,892 kilometers of national roads (as of 2021), including highways and semi-highways. This network is numbered from A1 to A53, with the main highways covering the national territory and connecting the major cities and regions.
The most important highways in the Swiss network include:
- A1: which crosses Switzerland from east to west, connecting Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Zurich, and St. Gallen.
- A2: which runs from north to south, connecting Basel, Lucerne, and Ticino to the Italian border.
- A3: which links Zurich and Basel, passing along Lake Zurich and the Jura mountains.
In addition to these main routes, there are numerous other highway and semi-highway sections that comprehensively cover Swiss territory.
