The tunnel Mont Blanc, a major road between France and Italy, will be closed for three months, from September 4 to December 18, 2023, itself in 2024, for heavy renovation works that will continue in the coming years.

The 11.6 km long, two-way tunnel, which built 60 years ago and used daily by thousands of cars, is at a stage where one-off repairs are no longer enough: “We made the choice to do more important projects, bigger ones to give this tunnel a second life,” said Gregory Schwarzaupt, deputy director of ATMB company.

The same applies to “its long-term sustainability,” he told AFP.

The first two phases of workdescribed as “experimental”, are expected to allow repairs of the dome in four sections totaling 1,200 meters, about 10% of the total length, and the establishment of the most efficient schedule possible for the remaining 90%, which will also have to be renovated during the following years.

Around 1,700 heavy trucks per day pass through the tunnel each year, while light vehicle traffic averages 3,600 cars per day, with over 6,000 cars recorded in August. The autumn season represents the lowest point of tourist traffic.

At the end of 2022, Italian press reports of possible shutdown scenarios had caused much concern among businesses, with some fearing that the country’s economy would be “brought to its knees”.

About 92% of the goods moving between France and Italy pass through the tunnel, according to the Agence alpine des Territoires. That is three million heavy vehicles and 43 million tonnes (Mt) on the Alpine routes.