The tunnel will close to traffic at 5pm on September 2nd, and it will not reopen until 5pm on December 16th.
This date of closure and its duration were chosen following a meeting between the Prefect of Haute-Savoie and the President of the Aosta Valley region, according to TMB, the Franco-Italian company responsible for managing the tunnel.
“The autumn period was chosen because of its lower traffic volumes, particularly for light vehicles, the tunnel’s main users. Light vehicles accounted for 68 percent of total traffic in 2023,” the company said in a press release.
During the works, heavy goods vehicles travelling from France will be diverted to the Fréjus tunnel in Savoie. Remaining traffic will use the Fréjus tunnel and the Grand and Petit Saint-Bernard, Mont Cenis and Montgenèvre Alpine passes.
What about people who have bought multiple tickets?
Drivers have to pay to travel through the tunnel and many opt to buy multiple tickets at a reduced price (10 or 20 journeys). Holders who have valid passes when the tunnel closes have no need to do anything. Their tickets will still be valid when the tunnel reopens and the time period they will remain valid for will be extended, the company that operates the tunnel said.
Why is it closing?
During the works, a 600m stretch of the tunnel’s vault will be renovated. If the work is considered a success, a second 15-week renovation phase on another 600m stretch of the tunnel is planned for 2025.
Work on the vault is the next stage of the renovation process for the 11.6km tunnel that connects France and Italy.
Since 2018, it has regularly been closed overnight to renovate the structure supporting the carriageway. The final phase of that renovation phase was completed at the end of June 2024.
“These test worksites will enable us to identify the best operating mode, in particular the duration, the technology employed, the impact of closure over a long period and on alternative routes”, TMB’s press release continued.
If the test works are successful, the French and Italian governments will discuss the next steps – options include total closure of the tunnel for four years to renovate the vault along the entire tunnel, or annual four-month closures for up to 18 years to carry out works.
It’s amazing that a tunnel that was closed for four years after the fire in 1999 needs a full renovation so soon. Perhaps it would be more honest if they just admitted that there was asbestos in the tunnel, as has been reported on Italian logistics websites and as most people who live near the tunnel already know, but then one would have to hold somebody accountable