When traffic is diverted, a responsible employee fails to change the signals as well, thus opening up a lane of Autobahn 7 for traffic from both directions. The mishap ends lightly once again, but it takes hours to resolve the chaos.
Because of incorrect traffic routing in a construction site area on the Autobahn 7, numerous vehicles have been directed into the opposite lane in Central Franconia. According to the police, a driver was only able to avoid a collision with a barrier and oncoming traffic by braking hard. The Autobahn between Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Wörnitz was closed for four hours because around 150 vehicles had to be reversed via an exit. The employee of a traffic safety company is said to be responsible for the error.
The incident happened on Thursday night in a construction site area where only one side of the highway was available. Two lanes led to Würzburg and one lane to Ulm. When a breakdown truck blocked one lane in the direction of Ulm, the police reportedly contacted the traffic safety company. This should reverse the direction of travel of one of the two lanes in the direction of Würzburg, so that the motorway could also be used again in the direction of Ulm. However, the signal system and the barriers at the start of the construction site were not changed.
The result: the lane was open to both sides, only a barrier separated the vehicles that were traveling in opposite directions.
An investigation is now underway against those responsible for the company for dangerous intervention in road traffic. According to a police spokeswoman, it is common for the direction of individual lanes to be reversed in the construction site area, for example depending on traffic or after accidents.
