Roadworks at the Aarhus Nord motorway interchange have created kilometer-long queues and confusing detours on the E45, and Vejdirektoratet says the next three weeks will be especially difficult for drivers.
The Danish Road Directorate, Vejdirektoratet, is widening 16 kilometers of the E45 and two kilometers of Djurslandsmotorvejen leading to the Aarhus Nord interchange. DR reports that the work has produced both heavy congestion and widespread confusion behind the wheel.
The on-ramp toward Aalborg is closed for drivers coming from central Aarhus. They are instead sent south to Tilst, or as far as Aarhus Vest about 10 kilometers away, before rejoining the northbound traffic at the back of long queues. Southbound drivers have also had to continue south and turn around to enter at Aarhus Nord, adding pressure to the already strained Tilst exit.
Vejdirektoratet warns of three hard weeks
Robin Højen Madsen, project chief at Vejdirektoratet, told DR that the coming three weeks will be really hard, after which the work shifts to night operations. He asked motorists for patience. According to the agency, the widening is intended to make room for 20,000 to 30,000 additional vehicles per day once finished.
The cones, barriers and signs have caused unsafe situations. DR reports that drivers have repeatedly mistaken the closures and entered closed lanes, then had to reverse back on the motorway. Commuters interviewed by DR on Friday morning described the detours as troublesome, with one driver from north of Aarhus exiting at Hadsten and driving via Lisbjerg.
Vejdirektoratet urges drivers to leave early, travel at other times or choose different routes, and to follow P4 traffic reports and DR’s traffic page. The Aarhus works are part of the politically adopted Infrastrukturplan 2035, with 2.1 billion kroner allocated. The project started in April 2023 and is expected to be completed at the end of 2027.
Why the queues are worst now
In a press release, Vejdirektoratet states that on-ramps to the E45 toward Aalborg at Aarhus N are closed from August 19 to September 10, 2026. Northbound traffic past the junction is reduced to one lane with an 80 km/h speed limit. The agency links this to the final asphalt layers and road markings in the new interchange.
TV 2 Østjylland has reported several kilometers of northbound tailbacks from Tilst up to the Aarhus Nord interchange, with queues spreading onto feeder roads. Local outlet Byen Horsens described around five kilometers of queues between Aarhus Vest and Aarhus Nord, tied to the asphalt work. Earlier disruptions on the same corridor included an 18-hour closure of the E45, and drivers between the two largest cities can also travel by train from Copenhagen to Aarhus.
