France and Italy will explore the possibility of drilling a second tunnel tube under Mont Blanc in addition to the one already in place, the two countries foreign ministers, Jean-Noël Barrot, and Antonio Tajani, said at a recent meeting in Nice.
The Mont Blanc Tunnel, inaugurated in 1962, is 11,6 km long between Chamonix, France, and Courmayeur, Italy. It currently consists of one 8,6-meter-wide tunnel tube with two lanes—one in each direction of travel.
Parallel to the first tunnel shaft
A “technical committee” will be established with French, Italian, and probably Swiss engineers. It will examine the Italian proposal to build a second tunnel shaft parallel to the first for feasibility, cost, environmental impact, and so on.
The Mont Blanc Tunnel is a toll tunnel. A one-way ticket for a passenger car costs around 55 euros and a return ticket costs around 69 euros. It is used by an average of 4,595 vehicles daily.
From September to mid-December 2024, the Mont Blanc Tunnel was closed due to the complete reconstruction of two portions of the tunnel vault, 300 meters each. This made it one of the first major European tunnels to undertake deep renovation works on its structure.
The tunnel passes almost exactly under the summit of the 3,842-meter-tall Aiguille du Midi (Needle at midday). At this spot. It lies 2,480 beneath the surface, making it the world’s second-deepest operational tunnel after the Gotthard Base Tunnel.
Two other Alp tunnel tubes are soon to be opened
Ministers also revealed that the Tende Tunnel, another tunnel link between France and Italy, and more specifically through the Alps to Piedmont, should open in June, as should the second tube of the Fréjust Tunnel, a prominent European transport link in the Alps linking French Modane with Italian Bardonecchia.
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