Problems at the Mont Blanc tunnel, trucks and lorries diverted at Frejus

"Due to a technical problem at the Monte Bianco Tunnel, the Main Road Emergency Plan has been ordered with the diversion of heavy traffic to the Frejus Tunnel". This was announced by the Civil Protection and Fire Brigade Department of the Presidency of the Valle d'Aosta Region, stating: 'Following a technical problem at the Mont Blanc tunnel and the forthcoming saturation of the heavy vehicle parking areas, the application of the Main Road Emergency Plan has been ordered. Consequently, the Prefectures of Turin and Vercelli have been asked to divert heavy traffic to the Frejus tunnel'.

"Today, at 7.52 a.m., the circulation of all vehicles at the Mont Blanc Tunnel was interrupted in both directions, to allow technical work to be carried out on the road surface, in correspondence with the road deck restoration work site. Traffic was restored this morning at 6.24 a.m., an hour before the scheduled reopening time, at the end of a night of road deck repair work. At 7.52 a.m., the discovery of an anomaly on a junction required the interruption of traffic for safety reasons". This is how the Geie - the French-Italian tunnel management grouping - explained the technical problem on the infrastructure in a note. 'The technical services immediately arrived on site,' the note continues, 'and carried out a repair operation. At 9.45 a.m., traffic was restored on an alternating one-way basis. However, in order to limit the repercussions on goods traffic and in anticipation of the total closure scheduled for this evening (from 7.00 p.m. until 7.30 a.m. tomorrow morning), the activation of the alternative Alpine crossing plan has been requested'.

"The doubling of Mont Blanc can wait no longer: the Alps need it, Italy needs it, the president of the Autonomous Region of Valle d'Aosta, Testolin, has also said so, and he is right. Minister Salvini insists on effective and concrete work towards doubling it. Uncem has long been telling the French and Italian governments to invest in the design of a second tube, to give themselves a certain timetable, to act with local authorities and employers' associations'. This was stated by Marco Bussone and Jean Barocco, respectively president and national councillor of Uncem, the Union of Mountain Communities. "The ongoing works, with night closures, weigh on traffic and the economy, and not only in the north-west," they add. "The Quirinal Treaty calls on everyone to act for real and concrete cooperation, which passes through networks first and foremost, through infrastructures," for which "the doubled tunnel is a European priority," the Uncem exponents conclude.