The Mont-Blanc tunnel, major Alpine automotive tunnel connecting France and Italy, will be closed for more than three consecutive months, from 4 September to 18 December 2023, then again in 2024, for heavy renovation work.
Built 60 years ago, this 11.6 km long tunnel is at a stage where one-off repairs are no longer enough: "We have chosen to carry out larger, more substantial work to give a second life to this tunnel,” said Grégory Schwarshaupt, the director of the ATMB company.
A 50 million euro project in two phases
According to Le Dauphine, the first two construction phases should allow the repair of the vault on four sections totaling 1,200 meters, or about 10% of the total length, and to develop the most efficient schedule possible for the 90 % remaining, which will also have to be renovated in the following years.
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.
The two phases were financed with 50 million euros, borne equally by the French (ATMB) and Italian (SITMB) concession companies.
The closure scenarios worried Italy
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.
Reports from the Italian press in 2022 on potential shutdown scenarios had caused serious concern in Italian business circles, 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.
Source: @Le Dauphine
