Traffic jam in the Wachau

Rockfall near Spitz: Danube road B3 closed

The Danube road B3 near Spitz in the Wachau had to be completely closed at around 10 a.m. on Thursday. The B33 on the opposite bank of the Danube is also impassable following the devastating mudslide near Aggsbach-Dorf at the beginning of June. There were temporary long traffic jams.

A rockfall allegedly occurred between Spitz and Schwallenbach in the district of Krems on the northern bank of the Danube on Thursday morning. "As the B33 between Aggsbach-Dorf and Aggstein on the opposite bank is also closed, both connections between the Danube bridges at Melk and Mautern are not passable," the ÖAMTC reports. In many cases, it is only possible to take a very wide detour, they say. 

After an hour, the closure was lifted again. The reason for this was a misunderstanding: according to the police, the traffic lights installed on the north bank of the Wachau were set to red in both directions. The cause was probably a power failure. After around an hour, the B3 was open to traffic again. Nevertheless, drivers had to wait for a short time. 

Devastating mudslide at the beginning of June
It was only at the beginning of June that a mudslide shook the Wachau. Near Aggsbach-Dorf in the district of Melk, 13,000 cubic meters of rock thundered onto the B33. Since then, the road has been impassable and various detour have been set up.