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.**