Switzerland: A2 Osttangente Basel Restricted on Five Weekends (September/October 2026)

The A2 Osttangente in Basel will have restricted access on five weekends between 4 September and 5 October 2026, each time from Friday or Saturday evening at 9 pm until Monday morning at 5 am. The reason is the installation of a new, low-noise surface layer in the area of the Bäumlihof Bridge and the Schwarzwald Tunnel. The Osttangente is one of the busiest connections between Switzerland, Germany, and France.

Anyone travelling via Basel towards Germany or France in September or early October should factor the closure periods into their route planning.

Which dates are affected?

The work is spread over five weekends: 4 to 7 September, 11 to 14 September, 18 to 21 September, 26 to 28 September, and 3 to 5 October 2026. From 18 to 21 September 2026, a short section will additionally be fully closed in both directions at times; on the other weekends, one lane per direction will generally remain open. The Wettsteinallee, Zürcherstrasse, Riehenstrasse, Freiburgerstrasse, and Badenstrasse on- and off-ramps will also be temporarily closed.

Effects for travellers heading to Germany and France

Traffic to and from Germany will be diverted via Basel's city street network during the closure periods, resulting in additional traffic in the city centre. Towards France, through-traffic on the A2 will generally remain possible, albeit with the same capacity restrictions. ASTRA recommends avoiding the route entirely during the closure periods if possible, or allowing significantly more travel time, for example for trips to EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg or to rail connections.

Toll in Switzerland

In Switzerland, tolls are collected via three different systems. For vehicles up to 3.5 t GVW, i.e. cars, motorcycles, and motorhomes, the vignette requirement applies, whereby only an annual vignette is available in Switzerland, with no shorter validity periods. For vehicles over 3.5 t GVW, the performance-related Heavy Vehicle Charge (LSVA) applies instead. In addition, the Great St. Bernard Tunnel and the Munt la Schera Tunnel are two separate special toll routes, which apply independently of the vignette or LSVA. More on this in our guide Toll in Switzerland.

Anyone who regularly travels through several countries often benefits from the Europamaut flat rate for €12.80 per month: vignettes for all eight supported countries can be activated via a single subscription, with no commitment and the option to cancel at any time.

The Europamaut team wishes you a pleasant journey!

If you're travelling via the A2 through Basel in September or early October, be sure to allow enough time buffer for the weekend closures. You can find everything about the vignette requirement in Switzerland on our Switzerland overview page, and details on the border crossings on the Switzerland-Germany border and Switzerland-France border pages. If you have any questions, you can reach us at any time by email.