The 11.6km tunnel carries heavy traffic and has been in operation since 1965. The tunnel is managed by TMB-GEIE. The work is costing €50 million.
The tunnel is a vital trans-Alpine transport route and carries thousands of vehicles/day. The tunnel cuts the distance reduces the route from France to Turin by 50km and to Milan by 100km.
A devastating fire in 1999 caused by a truck fire resulted in 39 fatalities and was followed by a lengthy closure while extensive safety upgrades were carried out. Since the tragic fire in the Mont Blanc Tunnel, France has spent more than €2 billion upgrading road tunnels.
New safety regulations for road tunnels were introduced in Europe in the wake of three horrific fire disasters. The Tauern Tunnel in Austria and the Mont Blanc Tunnel connecting France and Italy both experienced major fires in 1999, followed by the Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland in 2001. These major incidents all involved vehicle fires and resulted in multiple fatalities, 12 in the Tauern Tunnel, 39 in the Mont Blanc Tunnel and 11 in the Gotthard Tunnel, while there were many more injured. Following these horrendous disasters, four tests were carried out on the Runehamar road tunnel in Norway to simulate different types of vehicle fires. The new European tunnel regulations have also had a strong influence worldwide, with similar requirements now also being made in the US, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia.
