The Maloja Pass is open in winter. After heavy snowfalls the road may be closed for a couple of hours or for an entire day. Even if open, the road might be covered with snow making snow/winter tires, or Snow chains, a necessity.
The lowest point of the col, and the lowest point on the watershed between the basins of the Inn and the Po in Switzerland lies at an altitude of 1,812 m.
Expansion plan
In October 2025, the Graubünden government has presented a comprehensive expansion plan to upgrade the Maloja Pass road. At a cost of CHF 316 million, the road will be partially widened and a tunnel built.
The Maloja Pass is the most important access route from Italy to the Upper Engadine.
The road will be widened in places, and a cycle path will be added.
The largest part of the project will be a 2.7-kilometre-long tunnel costing CHF 280 million.
The stretch between Sils Föglias and Plaun de Lej – where the tunnel will be built – often has to be closed due to the risk of rockfalls and avalanches. Politicians have been wanting to remedy these two weak points for decades.[2]
