Businesses force staff to start at 4 AM to avoid traffic chaos near Kolding motorway works

Local companies in southern Denmark are altering work schedules—including 4 AM start times—to cope with severe congestion caused by major roadworks on one of the country’s busiest motorway sections, DR reports.

The Danish Road Directorate (Vejdirektoratet) began expanding a 7-kilometre stretch of the E45/E20 near Kolding in March, adding an extra lane in each direction to improve long-term traffic flow. But the construction has created daily gridlock, forcing businesses to adapt or risk financial and operational strain.

“It’s hell for them every single day”
Lennart Bruhn, owner of carpentry firm LB Byg in Skodborg, told DR that his employees now start shifts at 4 AM instead of 6 AM to avoid the worst delays—yet even then, accidents or bottlenecks often leave them stuck in traffic. “It’s a question of money and whether employees will keep working for me,” he said. “No one wants to sit in traffic. They’ll just quit. They have families to get home to.”

Bruhn criticised the pace of the project, asking why excavation work isn’t running 24/7: “I don’t understand why the diggers aren’t working around the clock.”

Long-term risks to competitiveness
Peter Klindt, business development manager at Erhvervshus Sydjylland (a regional agency supporting small and medium-sized enterprises), warned that transport, logistics, and manufacturing firms are hardest hit. Unpredictable travel times cut productivity and raise costs, while employees may refuse long commutes—potentially reducing labour mobility in a region reliant on it.

“If we don’t find solutions quickly, this will be expensive for the area,” Klindt said. “Over time, it could create tough competitive conditions for our businesses.”

Some companies have introduced remote work or compressed schedules with extra days off to minimise disruption, but Klindt stressed that such measures are “not a long-term fix.”

Road Directorate acknowledges challenges
In a written response to DR, the Road Directorate said it was “intensively working to improve traffic flow” during construction, including:
– Allowing trucks to use multiple lanes southbound
– Adding extra lanes at key merges
– Upgrading signage
– Expanding the central reservation to create three lanes southbound

However, it admitted “periods of congestion will continue” while capacity is reduced. The new lanes are expected to open by late 2027, with final surfacing work—conducted overnight—completed in summer 2028.

The agency defended the project’s pace, stating that “without the expansion, congestion would worsen in coming years,” but noted that safety and technical staging limit opportunities to accelerate the work.