A3 motorway (Switzerland)

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A3
Location of the A3 within Switzerland
Route information
Length180 km (110 mi)
Major junctions
FromA35 at French border
ToA13
Location
CountrySwitzerland
Highway system
Glarner Alps as seen from the A3 motorway, Canton of Glarus, Switzerland.
Aerial photograph of the A3 motorway splitting into 2 routes.
The A3 motorway seen at the junction with the Uetliberg Tunnel, in Wollishofen, Zürich.

The A3 is a motorway in northeast Switzerland, running diagonally from France toward the southeast border, and passing by Zürich on the way. The total length of the A3 motorway spans roughly 180 kilometres (110 mi), but parts of the road share sections of the A1 and A2 motorways.

The A3 belongs to the Swiss motorway network. It starts at the border in Basel, where it connects to French motorway A35. From the Wiese Motorway Fork, the route is shared with the A2.

At Augst, the motorway splits, with the A2 branching off and the A3 continuing past Rheinfelden and Frick. After the Bözberg tunnel is the Birrfeld Motorway Fork, near Birmenstorf. Here, the A1 and A3 share the same route as far as Motorway Interchange Limmattal, where the A3 goes towards Urdorf and the Uetliberg Tunnel which was opened on May 4, 2009. After Zürich the motorway weaves through the hills of the south-east bank of Lake Zürich. It continues along the Walensee (Walen Lake), and on to Mels where it ends at a junction with the A13.

The A3 represents (together with a section of the A1) the most important connection between Basel and Zürich, and (together with a section of the A13) the most important connection Zürich–Chur.