Bundesautobahn 81 (translates from German as Federal Motorway 81, short form Autobahn 81, abbreviated as BAB 81 or A 81) is a motorway in Germany. It branches off the A 3 at the Würzburg-West triangle and ends near the border with Switzerland.

A 81 shield}}
A 81
Bundesautobahn 81
Map
Route information
Length283 km (176 mi)
Major junctions
North end A 3 in Würzburg
South end B 34 in Gottmadingen
Location
CountryGermany
StatesBavaria, Baden-Württemberg
Highway system
  • Roads in Germany
A 73 A 82

The oldest part of the A 81 between the Weinsberg intersection (A 6) near Heilbronn and Dreieck Leonberg (A 8) near Stuttgart was finished in the years 1938 to 1940. This section included the first tunnel built for an autobahn, the 300-metre-long (980 ft) first Engelberg tunnel near Leonberg. When Weinsberg-Leonberg was upgraded to 3+3 lanes in the 1970s, the tunnel with its two lanes each and steep grades (up to 6%) became something of a bottleneck. In 1999 a new 2,530-metre-long (8,300 ft) Engelberg tunnel was opened.

Gärtringen: One of the few German autobahn exits to the left

Original plans called for the A 81 to be continued northwards skirting the north-west of Würzburg to join up with the A 7, but these plans were later abandoned. Instead, the A 81 shares a part of the A 8 to the Stuttgart intersection and then continues south on a motorway that was built as A 831 to Gärtringen, where it meets the original line again at a partly finished intersection. As a result of this change of plans, Gärtringen became one of the few exits in the German autobahn network that leave to the left.

Further south, the terrain required some spectacular engineering, including a 900-metre-long (3,000 ft) bridge near Horb that spans 125 m above the Neckar river. Currently, the A 81 ends near Singen.

Exit list

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  (1) Würzburg-West 3-way interchange   A 3  E41  E43
  (2) Gerchsheim
  Spitalwald parking area
  Gerchsheimer Grund parking area
    Services Kleinraststätte ob der Tauber
  Rötensteinbrücke 387 m
  parking area
  (3) Tauberbischofsheim   B 27  B 290
  Taubertalbrücke 661 m
  Steinbacher Höhe parking area
  Muckbachtalbrücke 330 m
  Löchle parking area
  Schüpfbachtalbrücke 280 m
  (4) Ahorn
  Brombach parking area
  Brücke über die Frankenbahn 50 m
  parking area
  Lindich parking area
  (5) Boxberg   B 292
  Rest area Holzspitze
  Seegrund parking area
  (6) Osterburken   B 292  B 293
  Denzer parking area
  Großer Wald parking area
    Services Kleinrastätte Jagsttal
  Jagsttalbrücke 889 m
  (7) Möckmühl
  Egerten parking area
  Kochertalbrücke 478 m
  Straßebrücke 50 m
  (8) Neuenstadt
  Brettachtalbrücke 386 m
  Sulzrain parking area
  Tunnel Hölzerntunnel 470 m
  Eberbachtalbrücke 310 m
  Eberbachtal parking area  
  (9) Weinsberg 4-way interchange   A 6  E50
  Bahnstrecke Crailsheim-Heilbronn 60 m
  (10) Weinsberg / Ellhofen   B 39a
  Reisberg parking area  
  Grafenwald parking area  
  (11) Heibronn / Untergruppenbach
  (12) Ilsfeld  
    Services Wunnenstein
  (13) Mundelsheim
  Rest area Kälbling
  (14) Pleidelsheim
  Neckartalbrücke 410 m
  (15) Ludwigsburg-Nord   B 27
  Brücke über Frankenbahn 60 m
  (16) Ludwigsburg-Süd
  (17) Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen interchange   B 10
  Brücke über Schwarzaldbahn 70 m
  (18) Stuttgart-Feuerbach   B 295
  Beutenbachtalbrücke 150 m
  Rest area Engelberg/Gerlinger Höhe
  Tunnel Engelbergtunnel 2530 m
  (19) Dreieck Leonberg 3-way interchange   A 8  E52

  A 8  A 81
  ( ) Leonberg-Ost
  Friedensbrücke 320 m
    Services Sindelfinger Wald  
  Rest area Sommerhofen  

  A 8  A 81
  (20) Stuttgart 4-way interchange   A 8  E52  A 831
  (21) Sindelfingen-Ost
  Straßenbrücke 60 m
  (22) Böblingen-Ost  
  Straßenbrücke 50 m
  Tunnel Lärmschutzdeckel 850 m (under construction until 2026 at least)
  (23) Böblingen/Sindelfingen
  (24) Böblingen-Hulb interchange   B 464
  (25) Ehningen   B 14
  Würmtalbrücke 242 m
  (26) Hildrizhausen
  (27) Gärtringen   B 14  
    Services Schönbuch
  Tunnel Schönbuchtunnel 606 m
  (28) Herrenberg   B 28
  Ammertalbahn 50 m
  Kochhartgrabenbrücke 252 m
  Rest area Ziegler/Geyern
  (29) Rottenburg   B 28a
  Rest area Neckarblick/Hirtenhaus
  Neckartalbrücke (Weitingen) 918 m
  (30) Horb am Neckar   B 32
  Talbrücke 90 m
  parking area
  (31) Empfingen   B 463
  Mühlbachtalviadukt 582 m
  parking area
  (32) Sulz am Neckar  
  Rest area Hasenrain
  (33) Oberndorf am Neckar
  Trichtenbachtalbrücke 140 m
  Talbrücke 130 m
  parking area  
  parking area  
  Schlichemtalbrücke 240 m
    Services Neckarburg
  Neckarburgbrücke 365 m
  (34) Rottweil   B 462
  Rest area Eschachtal
  Eschachtalbrücke 443 m
  Neckartalbrücke 206 m
  Bahnstrecke Rottweil-Villingen 50 m
  (35) Villingen-Schwenningen interchange   B 27
  parking area
  (36) Tuningen   B 523
  parking area
  (37) Bad Dürrheim 3-way interchange   A 864  E531
  Rest area Räthisgraben  
  Rest area Unterhölzer Wald  
  Donautalbrücke 318 m
  (38) Geisingen     B 31  B 33  B 311
  Ziegelbuckbrücke 196 m
  parking area
  Immensitzbrücke 227 m
  parking area
  Talbachbrücke 484 m
      Services / Motel Im Hegau
  Brudertalbrücke 337 m
  (39) Engen   B 31  B 491
  Bruckried/Klauseneck parking area
  (40) Hegau 4-way interchange   A 98  E54   B 33
  (41) Singen (Hohentwiel)   B 33
  Saubachbrücke 391 m
  Talbrücke 70 m
  Tunnel Hohentwieltunnel 833 m
  (42) Hilzingen   B 314
  Riederbachtalbrücke 216 m
  Tunnel Heilsbergtunnel 483 m
  Brücke über Hochrheinbahn 70 m
  (43) Gottmadingen   B 34  E41   E54
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