A8 motorway shuts down for major Alb ascent work in March 2026
A major closure on the A8 motorway will disrupt travel between Ulm-West and Mühlhausen in late March 2026. The shutdown, lasting from Friday evening to early Monday morning, is needed for preparatory work on the new Alb ascent. Drivers heading toward Stuttgart and Karlsruhe will face significant detours, while local routes will also be affected.
The first disruption begins on Monday, March 16, 2026, at around 8:00 AM, when the K1447 near Drackensteiner Straße closes. This local road will remain shut until Friday, March 27, 2026, at approximately 4:00 PM.
The main A8 closure starts later that week, from Friday, March 20, 2026, at around 8:00 PM until Monday, March 23, 2026, at about 5:00 AM. During this period, the motorway will be fully closed between Ulm-West and Mühlhausen in the direction of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe. The Merklingen and Hohenstadt junctions will also be inaccessible in this direction.
Preparatory work includes tree felling and maintenance on the existing descent route. The Aichen service area will close earlier, from Friday, March 20, 2026, at around 4:00 PM until the motorway reopens. Access to all other parking areas between Ulm-West and Mühlhausen will be blocked from Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at around 3:00 PM.
Drivers heading toward Stuttgart and Karlsruhe are advised to take the B10 and B313 via Geislingen an der Steige and Göppingen to reach the Wendlingen junction. Local traffic from Ulm-West should use the B10 and B466 to reach the Mühlhausen junction. Long-distance travellers going toward Mannheim and Heilbronn must take a wider detour via the Ulm/Elchingen interchange onto the A7 and A6.
Traffic toward Munich will remain unaffected by the closure.
The closures are part of early preparations for the new A8 Alb ascent, though specific construction details have not yet been released. Drivers are urged to plan alternative routes well in advance to avoid delays. The motorway and local roads will reopen fully by late March 2026.
