Spring has sprung and so has annual German road construction. Road crews are popping up faster than poppies in a field. One day you get on the autobahn without issue, the next you have one construction site after another appearing out of nowhere that can add to your daily commute — and it’s always just in time for summer travels and PCS season (welcome to Germany!).

The newest autobahn mega construction project and the largest in Southwest Germany started in the Wiesloch-Sinsheim-Neckarsulm area on A6 last week. The plan is to expand the current four lanes to six. It’s scheduled to be on going until June 2022 (oh my!), so you’ll need to plan accordingly if you will be driving from Kaiserslautern or Wiesbaden toward Stuttgart (or vice versa).

The daily forecast for this section of the autobahn is “mega-traffic jams” with little or no local road options available to detour onto or skirt the construction. So plan ahead, leave yourself plenty of time to reach your destination, and make sure you bring a large “bag of patience" with you until they complete this project … five years down the road.