Are you driving between France and Italy this year? You may be forced to detour, as the Mont Blanc tunnelwhich unites both countries below the alpswill close during 15 weeks for renovation works.
Between September 2 and December 16, A 600-meter section of this 11-kilometer tunnel will be completely reconstructed. During this period, the Mont Blanc tunnel will remain closed to traffic.
Alternative routes exist but are likely to increase travel time. Below we indicate How to plan your European road trip taking into account the closure this fall.
Why is the Mont-Blanc tunnel closed?
Inaugurated in 1965, the tunnel Mont Blanc It connects Chamonix (Haute Savoie, southeastern France) with Courmayer (Aosta Valley, northwest Italy). It is part of the European north-south route E25which runs from the Netherlands Hook to the ferry crossing from Cagliari to Palermo, in Sicily.
Located 2,480 meters below the summit of the Aiguille du Midi, it is the second tunnel deepest in the world in operation, after the Gotthard base tunnel in Switzerland. Throughout 2024 There have been several closures to carry out maintenance worksafety drills and renovations.
Structural renovation work on the vault is scheduled to close this fall. It will be one of the first great european tunnels in carrying out a profound renovation of its structure.
Between 5:00 p.m. on September 2 and 5:00 p.m. on December 16, they will be tested different reconstruction technologies in two 300 meter sections of the tunnel. The most efficient and effective techniques could be applied to an additional 600 meter stretch during another closure in 2025and other works along the entire tunnel in the coming years.
Alternatives to the Mont Blanc tunnel
During the closure of the Mont-Blanc tunnel, It will still be possible to drive between France and Italy on different routes.
Although these may lengthen your travel time, could save you money: the one-way toll for a car using the Mont-Blanc tunnel is 51.50 euros, while the return toll is 64.20 euros.
About 160 km south of the Mont-Blanc tunnel, the Fréjus tunnel connects Modane (France) with Bardonecchia (Italy). It is slightly cheaper to use: the one-way trip to tourism It costs 47 euros and the return ticket costs 57 euros. Heavy vehicles will be diverted to this route during the closure.
The fertilizers of toll paymentincluding the TMB card and Eurotollcover both tunnels with the same fertilizer. Multi-trip passes valid during the closure of the Mont-Blanc tunnel will be automatically extended by four months. The Grand-Saint-Bernard tunnel connects Martigny (Valais, Swiss) with Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses (Aosta Valley, Italy). The one-way toll for a car is 31 euros.
Located further to the southwest, the Little Saint Bernard Pass It is a mountain pass that connects Savoy (France) with the Aosta Valley. However, could be closed due to heavy snowfallso check the weather before planning your route.
To the north, the mountain pass Col des Montetswhich connects Chamonix with Vallorcine (France), on the border with Valais, is another route that could suffer snow closures.
He Montets Tunnela single-track railway tunnel that doubles as a road, can sometimes be used when the port is closed, but is likely to be affected by traffic.
The picturesque passage of Mont Cenisbetween the Cottian Alps (France) and the Graian Alps (Italy), is usually open to traffic until November, when it closes at night. winter season.
ADVERTISINGThe step of Montgenèvrewhich connects Briançon (France) and Cesana Torinese (Italy), is another option to travel by road further south of the Mont-Blanc Tunnel.
