Mont Blanc tunnel to close for three months
Alternative routes through Switzerland or Fréjus tunnel are available
Important renovation works will be carried out during the closure
MC MEDIASTUDIO/Shutterstock
The Mont Blanc tunnel will close for much of the rest of the year as major renovations are carried out.
It will be closed in both directions from Monday September 2, at 17:00, to Monday December 16, a total of 15 weeks.
The machinery in use, including the necessary safety equipment, cannot be removed and reinstalled every night, leading to the total closure of the tunnel instead of overnight work and temporary closure.
No vehicles will be permitted to use the tunnel during this time.
Alternative routes for drivers include the nearby Fréjus tunnel – the route about 90% of goods vehicles will use during the closure – or the Grand Saint-Bernard pass through Switzerland
A list of possible routes can be found on the tunnel’s official website.
Further closures expected next year
Tunnel authorities chose the autumn months to close the route as this is historically the quietest period for traffic.
It comes after a busy summer where the tunnel frequently saw traffic jams, particularly from holidaymakers returning to France from Italy.
Read more: Heavy traffic expected in France this weekend: roads to avoid
The renovation works being carried out include replacing more than 600 metres of the tunnel’s vault.
The authorities are using the works as a ‘test’ – assessing new technologies, the speed of construction, safety measures, and the impact of the closure on local and international traffic – to see how the entire vault can be rebuilt with minimal disruptions.
Currently, there are plans to close the tunnel for the same 15 week period in 2025, to carry out further construction, but this is subject to change.
Read more: Why Mont Blanc has shrunk by two metres in two years
