Austria: Salzburg bans transit traffic from A10 Tauernautobahn exits from Pentecost through summer 2026

The province of Salzburg has introduced a comprehensive package of exit bans on the A10 Tauernautobahn motorway and transit restrictions on surrounding local roads. The regulations are the most extensive anti-bypass measures introduced in the Salzburg region in recent years. Drivers transiting through Austria to Italy, Slovenia, or Croatia are required to remain on the motorway on the restricted dates — exits are permitted only for traffic with a genuine final destination inside Austria.

The measures are a direct response to a long-running problem. The A10 is one of Austria’s most congested motorways during holiday weekends. In June 2025, a 25-kilometre traffic jam built up near Golling during the Pentecost weekend. Rather than wait out the delay, significant numbers of drivers — particularly those with foreign registration plates — were exiting at motorway junctions to thread through local villages. The Salzburg state government has now made that impossible on the dates when it happens most.

Dates when exit bans are in force

The bans apply around the clock — 00:00 to 24:00 — on the following dates:

The 30 May date is specifically linked to a planned demonstration at the Brenner Pass. If that protest disrupts northbound A13 Brenner traffic, vehicles may be diverted to the A10 — creating precisely the congestion spill that the exit bans are designed to prevent from flowing into local roads.

Which A10 exits are banned

Exit bans cover the entire stretch between Puch-Urstein (Exit 11) and Zederhaus, in both directions. The specific junctions are:

In addition, the service areas at Landzeit Gasthof Nord and Gasthof Süd are included: vehicles may not leave these rest areas onto municipal roads in the Gasthofsiedlung and Gewerbegebiet Gasthof Süd zones. This specifically targets the practice of using service area exits as a bypass point during stationary motorway queues.

Local road restrictions in surrounding municipalities

Beyond the motorway, the province has also introduced restrictions on specific local and regional roads in five municipalities adjacent to the A10 corridor. These are separate regulations enforced at the district level, aimed at preventing transit traffic entering from the north before reaching the A10.

In Anif: B159 Salzachtal Straße, Ahornstraße, Neu-Anifer Straße, Kirchenstraße, Schloss-Lasseregg-Straße.

In Elsbethen: L105 Halleiner Landesstraße.

In Grödig: Neue-Heimat-Straße, Moosstraße, Gutrathbergweg, L104 Grödiger Landesstraße, L237 Glanegger Landesstraße, B160 Berchtesgadener Straße at the Hangendenstein border crossing.

In Großgmain: L237 Glanegger Landesstraße, L114 Großgmainer Landesstraße at the border.

In Wals-Siezenheim: Viehhauser Straße, Lagerhausstraße, Edelweißstraße, Schulstraße, Grödigerweg, Josef-Hauthaler-Straße, B1 Wiener Straße.

Who is exempt

The exemption applies exclusively to destination traffic to Austria — meaning drivers whose final travel destination is genuinely inside Austrian territory. A hotel booking in Salzburg, a business appointment, or visiting relatives qualifies. Stopping in Austria and then continuing south does not.

The regulations explicitly state that bypassing a traffic jam is not a valid reason to exit. The enforcement sign combination is “no entry” with a supplementary plate reading “ausgenommen Zielverkehr Österreich” (except destination traffic Austria). Police can check at any exit ramp when traffic conditions warrant it, supported by ASFINAG traffic managers and private security personnel.

Local traffic specified in the individual municipal regulations is also exempt, as are cyclists.

Why the A10 generates these restrictions

The A10 runs 192 kilometres from Salzburg south to Villach in Carinthia, crossing the main Alpine divide. It carries the bulk of the tourist and freight traffic moving between Germany, Austria, and the Adriatic coast — Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia. The route includes both the Tauern Tunnel and the Katschberg Tunnel. Despite both tunnels now running two bores since 2011, summer weekend congestion at peak periods can still reach 20–30 kilometres, with waiting times of four to five hours on the worst days.

When traffic queues form, drivers with foreign plates have historically exited to use local roads through the Salzburg–Pongau valley communities. These are narrow village roads with no capacity for transit volumes. The province has tried graduated responses since 2019; the 2026 package is the most comprehensive to date, adding the 30 May Brenner demonstration date to the existing Pentecost and summer calendar.

What this means for freight operators

Trucks are not the primary target of the restrictions — the focus is on private tourist traffic. However, commercial vehicles transiting to Italy, Slovenia, or Croatia via the A10 corridor are subject to the same exit bans. A truck driver who exits at Golling or Werfen during the restricted period to seek an alternative route will be turned back. The only legal option is to remain on the A10 or plan an entirely different corridor — for example, routing via Munich and the Brenner (A13), or via the Inntal (A12) and the Reschen Pass for westbound Italy approaches.

Freight operators planning summer shipments through the Salzburg corridor should note that the summer holiday ban (11 July – 13 September) runs around the clock, seven days a week, for nine weeks. That is not a weekend restriction — it is a continuous 24-hour prohibition on exit for transit traffic throughout the entire peak summer period.

Frequently asked questions

When exactly are the A10 exit bans in force in 2026?

Three periods: 22–25 May (Pentecost weekend), 30 May (Brenner demonstration day), and 11 July – 13 September (summer holidays). All three periods run 00:00–24:00. The summer holiday ban is continuous — it applies every day from 11 July through 13 September, not only on weekends.

Can a truck driver exit the A10 to rest or fuel up?

Service area facilities on the A10 itself are accessible. The ban prohibits exiting onto local roads adjoining the motorway. The Landzeit Gasthof Nord and Gasthof Süd service areas are included in the ban specifically — vehicles may not use those service area exits to enter municipal roads in the surrounding settlement zones.

What happens if a driver exits anyway?

Police enforce the bans using “no entry” signs combined with the supplementary plate “ausgenommen Zielverkehr Österreich.” Officers can check at any prohibited exit. If a driver exits and cannot demonstrate a genuine Austrian destination, they will be turned back. Violations are subject to Austrian traffic fines.

Why is 30 May specifically included?

A demonstration is planned at the Brenner Pass on 30 May 2026. Protests at the Brenner historically divert significant northbound traffic from the A13 to the A10. The Salzburg authorities have proactively included 30 May to prevent that diverted volume from then creating bypass traffic on local roads alongside the A10.

Are the local road bans in Anif, Grödig and surrounding municipalities the same dates?

Yes. The municipal road restrictions in Anif, Elsbethen, Grödig, Großgmain, and Wals-Siezenheim apply on the same dates as the motorway exit bans. They are separate regulations issued by the district authority of Salzburg-Umgebung and the city of Salzburg magistrate, but coordinated to cover the same periods and create a continuous barrier against bypass traffic entering from the north.