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Mont Blanc opens to HMIs in summer
Page 8
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A by Jennifer Ball
rance and Italy have agreed a deal to open the Mont Blanc tunnel to all traffic by the summer, boosting hopes of reduced congestion at the other alpine crossings.
The move comes after the f:uropean Commission threatened France with legal action if it failed to justify its decision to ban trucks over 19 tonnes from the vital trans-alpine link.
The tunnel was closed to all iraffic following the fire in March 1999 in which 39 people died. It reopened earlier this year, but only to non-HGV traffic (CM 14 March 2002).
Italy claimed France was being obstructive as the tunnel ,s a vital trade link: it says the three-year closure has already cost ,i2.5bn worth of business.
The tunnel is currently restricted to cars, but on 29 March France agreed that trucks up to 19 tonnes would be allowed through the tunnel; top weight trucks are due to start rolling through in the summer.
French Transport Minister Jean-Claude Gayssot says that up to 35% of truck traffic from the Frejus tunnel will now be transferred back to the Mont Blanc tunnel—this should reduce the long delays experienced at Frejus.
Residents of the Chamonix valley at the French end of the tunnel are continuing to protest over the return of trucks to the valley, citing an improved quality of life since the tunnel shut.