An epic tunnel which links two major European powers has finally reopened after three months of renovation works.
Mont-Blanc Tunnel opened in 1965, and connects Chamonix in Haute Savoie, southeast France with Courmayer in Aosta Valley, in Italy’s northwest snowcapped peaks of the Alps.
The works involved a 600m section of the tunnel’s vault, with a second renovation phase on a further 600m of it planned for next year, though the dates are yet to be confirmed, as per The Local.com.
More than 150 people were involved in the latest renovations, with works being carried out 24 hours. To bring the renovation to completion, it’s estimated to have taken some 150,000 hours of work.
The tunnel lies some 2,480 metres beneath the Aiguille du Midi summit, making it the second deepest operational tunnel in the world in operation after Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland.
Commuters faced regular overnight closures in 2018, while the structure supporting the carriageway underwent renovations.
Various closures also took place throughout this year as safety drills, maintenance work, and renovations continued.
The governments of France and Italy are weighing up how to proceed with the rest of the vault revamp, with options including totally closing the tunnel for four years to complete the work in one go, or four-month closures every year for up to 18 years so the tunnel can still be used for most of the year.
The tunnel has served thousands of vehicles daily since it opened, significantly shortening the route between France and major Italian cities like Turin and Milan by 50km and 100km respectively.
The Mont Blanc tunnel is part of a massive north-south European route known as the E25, from the Hook of Holland down to Palermo in Sicily.
The tunnel saw the driving time between France and Italy cut down to just around 10 minutes.
The Fréjus Tunnel, around 160km farther south, is an alternative for those travelling between the two nations, and is slightly cheaper, with a return toll costing €57 (£48) as of August, compared to €64.20 (£54) for the Mont Blanc tunnel.
