Frankfurt (Oder)’s mayor Axel Strasser has welcomed a new traffic configuration at the fixed border-control site on the A12 motorway, calling it an “important step” to relieve chronic queues for commuters and freight. The redesign, operational from 22 December, adds a dedicated lane for passenger cars, clearer signage and a buffer zone allowing trucks to be processed away from the main carriageway.
Since permanent checks returned in September 2024, the A12 has become a bottleneck for the growing twin-city economy of Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice. More than 4,000 Polish residents commute daily to German employers, while German logistics firms rely on just-in-time deliveries from factories east of the Oder. During holiday peaks, tailbacks have stretched ten kilometres, costing hauliers an estimated €200 per truck in lost driver hours.
![A12 Checkpoint Redesign Aims to Ease Congestion on German-Polish Border]()
For travellers who are unsure whether their documentation meets current German entry requirements, VisaHQ can take the guesswork out of the process. The platform offers step-by-step assistance in securing work, business or tourist visas and keeps users informed about any rule changes that could affect passage through checkpoints like the A12. More information is available at https://www.visahq.com/germany/.
The local chamber of commerce hopes the new layout will cut average wait times by a third, but stresses that infrastructure tweaks are only a partial cure. Business groups and city officials continue to lobby Berlin and Warsaw to phase out stationary checks altogether once EU migration talks conclude in spring 2026.
Until then, mobility managers should monitor real-time traffic apps and advise drivers to carry company letters explaining essential travel. Employers with time-sensitive cargo may explore rail alternatives via the nearby Küstrin crossing, where controls remain mobile rather than fixed.
Since permanent checks returned in September 2024, the A12 has become a bottleneck for the growing twin-city economy of Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice. More than 4,000 Polish residents commute daily to German employers, while German logistics firms rely on just-in-time deliveries from factories east of the Oder. During holiday peaks, tailbacks have stretched ten kilometres, costing hauliers an estimated €200 per truck in lost driver hours.
For travellers who are unsure whether their documentation meets current German entry requirements, VisaHQ can take the guesswork out of the process. The platform offers step-by-step assistance in securing work, business or tourist visas and keeps users informed about any rule changes that could affect passage through checkpoints like the A12. More information is available at https://www.visahq.com/germany/.
The local chamber of commerce hopes the new layout will cut average wait times by a third, but stresses that infrastructure tweaks are only a partial cure. Business groups and city officials continue to lobby Berlin and Warsaw to phase out stationary checks altogether once EU migration talks conclude in spring 2026.
Until then, mobility managers should monitor real-time traffic apps and advise drivers to carry company letters explaining essential travel. Employers with time-sensitive cargo may explore rail alternatives via the nearby Küstrin crossing, where controls remain mobile rather than fixed.
