Vote on November 24, 2024 The most important facts about the highway expansion

On November 24, Swiss voters will decide on the planned expansion of the motorway network. An overview.

On November 24, Swiss voters will decide on 4.9 billion Swiss francs for national road expansion projects. An alliance led by the Swiss Transport Club (VCS) is fighting the bill with a referendum. Here are the most important facts about the bill:

According to the federal government, the volume of traffic on the motorway network has increased more than fivefold over the past sixty years. Particularly busy stretches of highway are regularly overloaded. This leads to traffic jams and gridlock, especially in conurbations. Drivers who want to avoid waiting times switch to cantonal and municipal roads and burden towns and villages with additional traffic.

Parliament approved the 2023 expansion phase of the motorway network just over a year ago. A total of six freeway sections are to be expanded over the next few years at a total cost of CHF 4.9 billion. The Federal Council had proposed five projects to Parliament. The councillors increased the credit in favor of a project on the A1 at Lake Geneva.

The A1 is to be widened to eight lanes between Bern-Wankdorf and Schönbühl BE and to six lanes between Schönbühl and Kirchberg BE. In western Switzerland, the A1 between Le Vengeron GE and Nyon VD is also to be widened to six lanes.

In addition, a third tube of the Rosenberg tunnel on the A1 near St. Gallen and a second tube of the Fäsenstaub tunnel on the A4 in Schaffhausen are to be built. In addition, a new Rhine tunnel between Birsfelden BL and Kleinhüningen in the city of Basel will relieve the A2 east bypass in the Basel area from through traffic in the long term.

Proponents hope that the expansion of the national highway will bring greater safety and peace and quiet. The freeways are an important piece of the puzzle in the overall transport system and the most efficient transport infrastructure. They account for just under three percent of the entire road network, but absorb and channel 45 percent of all vehicle kilometers driven, argues the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS). According to the proponents, freeways relieve cities and villages of through traffic. These would then suffer from less noise and exhaust fumes.

The mobility of people in the country requires infrastructure, both on the roads and on the railways. Traffic jams cost money and time. For rescue operations, it is crucial to get through to the scene of an accident quickly and without traffic jams. The freeway projects would not be financed from the federal budget, but by road users via the National Roads and Agglomeration Transport Fund.

The SVP, FDP and centrist parties as well as major associations such as Economiesuisse, the Swiss Trade Association, Auto Schweiz, Touring Club Switzerland and Astag are represented in the supporting alliance.

An alliance led by the Swiss Transport Club (VCS) and the Umverkehr organization is fighting the bill with a referendum. After the Yes to the Climate Protection Act in June 2023, they argue that the expansion of the freeways should be halted. The 2023 expansion phase for the motorways is "excessive, outdated and overpriced" and runs counter to the statutory reduction targets for exhaust emissions. It is time to invest in means of transport that really solve the problems of the 21st century.

Wider highways lead to more traffic, longer traffic jams, more air pollution and noise and also more CO2 emissions. This is because widening creates incentives to use the widened route, argues the No Committee. And not only there, but also on the feeder routes, car traffic would then increase. Many neighboring communities are opposed to the freeway expansion projects.

The referendum is supported by the SP, the Greens and the GLP. Members of the alliance are Greenpeace Switzerland, the Noise League, Birdlife Switzerland, Pro Natura, Verein Klimaschutz Schweiz and Klima-Allianz-Schweiz.

SDA