Thursday, August 29, 2024 The Mont Blanc Tunnel, a critical transportation link between France and Italy, is set to close for 15 weeks starting from September 2, 2024, to December 16, 2024. The closure, which is necessary to undertake extensive renovation work, is expected to cause significant disruptions for the thousands of travelers and businesses that rely on the tunnel daily. With more than 5,000 vehicles passing through the tunnel each day, the extended closure has raised concerns about the impact on tourism, commerce, and local economies in both France and Italy.
The Mont Blanc Tunnel, which spans 11.2 kilometers (seven miles) beneath the Alps, connects Chamonix in Haute Savoie, southeast France, to Courmayeur in Aosta Valley, northwest Italy. As one of Europe’s most important road tunnels, it serves as a vital route for both commercial transport and tourism.
The tunnel’s closure for such an extended period is unprecedented in recent years and is necessitated by the need for major structural renovations. The renovation project will focus on a 600-meter (0.37 miles) stretch of the tunnel, which will be completely reconstructed.
The work involves the installation of a new waterproofing system to address water infiltration, a significant issue that has contributed to the tunnel’s ageing. Due to the scale and complexity of the work, the necessary machinery cannot be removed and reinstalled each night, making it impossible to keep the tunnel open during the renovation.