If you’re driving in Munich at the end of November, be prepared for a test of patience. One of the main traffic arteries around the Bavarian capital will be closed for an entire weekend. As announced by Autobahn GmbH for Southern Bavaria, the A99 in eastern Munich between the Munich-South interchange and the Munich-East interchange will be completely closed to traffic. The full closure will begin on Friday, November 20, 2026, at 8:00 p.m., and the road is not scheduled to reopen until the following Monday, November 23, 2026, at 5:00 a.m. As a major interchange, the popular eastern bypass connects key highways such as the A9, the A92, and the A8. The route also serves as the centerpiece of one of the busiest north-south corridors in the entire country.
Dilapidated Overpass Near Haar Forces Bridge Demolition
The reason for this drastic measure is the unavoidable demolition of a bridge near the town of Haar. The highway overpass there, built in 1973, is in such poor condition that renovation is out of the question. Since phased partial demolition posed an acute risk that the remainder of the bridge could collapse uncontrollably onto the roadway, the entire structure must be removed in a single operation. To minimize the impact as much as possible, officials deliberately chose what is expected to be the weekend with the least traffic of the year. A temporary bridge has been in place for local traffic since August. A permanent replacement bridge at the same location is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2028.
Since there is no high-capacity alternative highway, traffic is likely to back up through Munich as well as through the districts of Munich, Ebersberg, and Erding. Trips to the trade fair or the airport are expected to take considerably longer. Experts strongly advise avoiding non-essential trips, keeping emergency routes clear, and switching to public transportation whenever possible. Long-distance traffic is already being rerouted on a large scale from Würzburg via the A7/A96 and the Austrian Arlberg Tunnel, and from Nuremberg via the A3.
