The Mont-Blanc tunnel will be closed for more than three consecutive months, from September 4 to December 18, 2023, then as many in 2024, for heavy renovation work (AFP / Archives / GUILLAUME SOUVANT)
The Mont-Blanc tunnel, a major road between France and Italy, will be closed for more than three consecutive months, from September 4 to December 18, 2023, then as much again in 2024, for heavy renovation work which will continue for years. following.
Built 60 years ago, used daily by thousands of vehicles, the 11.6 km long two-way structure is at a stage where one-off repairs are no longer enough: “We have chosen to do more extensive work , more substantial to give a second life to this tunnel”, explains Grégory Schwarshaupt, deputy director of the company ATMB.
It is about its “long-term sustainability”, he told AFP.
The first two phases of construction, described as “experimental”, should allow the repair of the vault on four sections totaling 1,200 meters, or approximately 10% of the total length, and to develop the most efficient schedule possible. for the remaining 90%, which will also have to be renovated in the following years.
The tunnel sees around 1,700 heavy trucks per day pass all year round, while light vehicle traffic averages 3,600 cars per day, with peaks of more than 6,000 in August. The autumn period corresponds to the low point of tourist traffic.
The first test site will allow the renovation of 600 meters of vault in two places. If its results are positive, an additional 600 meters will be renovated in 2024. These first two phases have been budgeted at 50 million euros, supported equally by the French (ATMB) and Italian (SITMB) concession companies.
For the rest, “everything remains open”, underlines Mr. Schwarshaupt, who says “understand the expectation” of regional actors, in particular those who live from tourism, and transporters. “The sooner we can communicate, explain how the rest of this project will unfold, the better it is for everyone”, he explains, referring to the end date of 2024.
At the end of 2022, reports from the Italian press on potential shutdown scenarios had caused serious concern in Italian business circles, with some fearing that they would “bring the country’s economy to its knees”.
Some 92% of the goods circulating between France and Italy pass by road, according to the Alpine Territories Agency. That is three million heavy goods vehicles and 43 million tonnes (Mt) on the roads of the Alps.
© 2023 AFP
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