The AP-8 highway in Irun has once again seen significant traffic jams this Monday, heading towards France, reaching up to seven kilometers. High traffic density was observed throughout the morning, worsening particularly in the afternoon, according to data from the Basque Government's Department of Security.
Although the situation has begun to improve in recent minutes, with queues reduced to 2-3 kilometers after 7:30 PM, drivers are advised to exercise extreme caution in the area.
This congestion is not new for regular drivers on the AP-8, as it has been recurring since last Thursday. The largest collapse of the summer occurred on August 13th, with a 14-kilometer traffic jam in Irun and 8 kilometers in Zarautz, which also saturated the streets of the border town.
The Irun City Council, directly affected by the massive vehicle flow, advanced its return operation plan for the day of the eclipse, but this operation was not deployed. This resulted in drivers fleeing the highway jam being caught in the city, which was unable to handle trans-European traffic with only one toll highway and the GI-636 road.
Drivers traveling towards France from western Gipuzkoa already encountered a preview at the Zarautz toll, with an 8-kilometer jam. The situation worsened with up to 14 kilometers on the AP-8, from Errenteria to the border. The search for alternatives completely choked the GI-636, and even alternative routes like the GI-2134 or the ascent to Arkale also suffered traffic jams.
