There are six motorways in Luxembourg, forming the backbone of
road
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation.
There are many types of ...
infrastructure in Luxembourg. Five of them extend radially from
Luxembourg City
Luxembourg ( lb, Lëtzebuerg; french: Luxembourg; german: Luxemburg), also known as Luxembourg City ( lb, Stad Lëtzebuerg, link=no or ; french: Ville de Luxembourg, link=no; german: Stadt Luxemburg, link=no or ), is the capital city of the Lu ...
, in southern Luxembourg, the centre of the transport network of the country.
The six motorways have a total length of
. For cars, the
speed limit
Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed - expres ...
is , reduced to in rain. During summer, due to heat the speed can be reduced to .
History
In the Grand Duchy, the development of motorway projects had its beginnings in the late 1960s. The first sections made were the
Kirchberg - Senningerberg sections of the A1 motorway and Pontpierre -
Esch-sur-Alzette
Esch-sur-Alzette (; lb, Esch-Uelzecht ; german: Esch an der Alzette or ''Esch an der Alzig'') is the second city of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the country's second-most populous commune, with a population of 35,040 inhabitants, . It lies ...
/ Lallange sections of the A4 motorway. They were put into service in 1969, quickly followed by the A3 (Luxembourg -
Dudelange
Dudelange (; lb, Diddeleng , german: Düdelingen) is a commune with town status in southern Luxembourg. It is the fourth-most populous commune, with 19,734 inhabitants. Dudelange is situated close to the border with France.
, the town of Dudela ...
) and A6 motorways towards
Arlon
Arlon (; lb, Arel ; nl, Aarlen ; german: Arel ; wa, Årlon; la, Orolaunum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in and capital of the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium. With a population of just over 28,000, it is t ...
.
In later 1980s and beginning of 1990s sections I to III of the A1 motorway to Trier (coming from the German border at Wasserbillig) were finalized, joining the A6 motorway by the
Croix de Gasperich The Croix de Gasperich ( lb, Gaasperech Kräiz, german: Gaspericher Kreuz) is a motorway interchange in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It is the junction between three of Luxembourg's six motorways: the western terminus of the A1 conti ...
bypassing Luxembourg City in the south-east. The last completed is the A13 motorway oriented west-east between the Biff at Bascharage and
Schengen
The Schengen Area ( , ) is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and j ...
, joining the new
German A8 motorway.
In 2015, the last part of the A7 was inaugurated. It connects the north of the country in
Schieren
Schieren is a commune and town in central Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Diekirch.
The town of Schieren, which lies in the west of the commune, has a population of . Schieren is served by a railway station.
Schieren was formed on 1 July ...
with the capital in
Grünewald.
Naming
The numbering of motorways is derived from the numbering of national roads. The first national roads were numbered according to the
hands of a clock (around
Luxembourg City
Luxembourg ( lb, Lëtzebuerg; french: Luxembourg; german: Luxemburg), also known as Luxembourg City ( lb, Stad Lëtzebuerg, link=no or ; french: Ville de Luxembourg, link=no; german: Stadt Luxemburg, link=no or ), is the capital city of the Lu ...
), starting with the road to
Trier
Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
, the road N1, until the road towards the North N7. With reference to this designation, the motorways are called A1 "Trier motorway" and A7 "Route du Nord".
List of motorways
See also
*
Transport in Luxembourg
Transport in Luxembourg is ensured principally by road, rail and air. There are also services along the river Moselle which forms the border with Germany. The road network has been significantly modernised in recent years with motorways to adjacent ...
*
List of controlled-access highway systems
Many countries have national networks of controlled-access highways, the names of which vary from one country to another e.g. freeway or motorway. The networks do not always include all such highways, or even all the major ones in the country.
Asi ...
*
Evolution of motorway construction in European nations
The evolution of motorways construction in European countries by total number of kilometers existing in that year.
This is a list of the total number of Motorways by country in Europe. It includes motorways (controlled-access highways), classifie ...
References
External links
*
Administration des Ponts et Chaussées
{{Luxembourg topics
Luxembourg, Motorways
Motorways
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...
Motorways
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...