Published 2024-04-03 08.39
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The snowy weather that moved in yesterday has caused chaos at E4 for the past 24 hours.
The road reopened on Wednesday morning.
– The queues have started to move a bit, but we advise people not to go out and drive, says rescue leader Göran Melin.
Both yellow and orange warnings were issued for the snow storm that moved in over Svealand and Götaland on Tuesday.
Several accidents have been reported during the morning and, among other things, the Öland Bridge has been closed after several accidents occurred in a short time.
During the night, several motorists were stuck in their cars on the E4 along Vättern, between Huskvarna and Gränna.
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full screen Several motorists have had to spend the night in their cars on the E4. Photo: Reader image.
During Wednesday morning, the E4 was closed at the height of Skärstad. From Jönköping in the northbound direction, the traffic was at a standstill well into the morning, but north of the Vätternleden the queues begin to ease a little.
At 11 a.m. on Wednesday, traffic has started to move again on the E4.
– It is open, but there are still some trucks that limit access, says Felicia Danielsson, press communicator Trafikverket.
– There are also some trucks on the diversion road, but they should be on their way away, she continues.
But the kitchen chaos can continue for a while longer and rescue leader Göran Melin says that motorists need to be prepared to sit in queues for a while longer.
– Those who are sitting will have to sit for a couple more hours. We are working with undiminished strength and we are discouraging people from going out into traffic until the situation has stabilized, says Göran Melin.
“Very annoying”
Sara Dahlberg, 27, is one of those who got stuck in the mile-long queues. At 5 pm yesterday it stopped after a traffic accident outside Jönköping.
– The biggest problem I felt was trucks trying to overtake in the overtaking lane. There was a truck that was standing across the road and once they got it free, other trucks tried to get into the right lane and then they got stuck crosswise. It was very annoying, says Sara.
She had to spend the night in the car together with her mother Berit.
– We had the car running for periods to get the heat up. And then we turned off the car occasionally so as not to run out of gas. We had just shopped so we were lucky we could get some in our stomachs too. But it was tough regardless, says Sara.
At 07:30 the queues where Sara and Berit were standing eased and they managed to turn off in Gränna and get home. The route that usually takes 40 minutes to travel instead took over 14 hours.
– It feels good to get into the heat. But one thinks of all the others who are still stuck on the roads. Hope they get out of the queues quickly and also get home to warm up soon, says Sara.
Thick layers of ice
The police assist the Swedish Transport Administration and the emergency services by stopping the traffic flow and diverting the traffic. Police patrols have been set up to block the E4 northbound entrances since 07.30.
Passenger cars are diverted at the height of Ekhagen to national road 31, but trucks are not allowed to drive on. They are directed to drive off and stand still until further notice.
– We try to support the Swedish Transport Administration and the emergency services by stopping the flow of traffic and diverting the traffic. We hope it will have a good effect, says Angelica Israelsson Silfver, the police’s press spokesperson in the eastern region.
During the night, the temperatures have dropped, which has caused the roads to freeze. It is very slippery on the roads, the police say.
– We strongly recommend staying at home and not going out on the roads today. There are thick layers of ice on the roads that cause major problems. This applies on the E4 but also on other roads, says Angelica Israelsson Silfver.
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full screen Long queues along the E4, here at Huskvarna. Photo: Mattias Landström/Jkpg.News
