Mont Blanc tunnel to reopen on Saturday
Mont Blanc Tunnel, shut down three years ago after a deadly accident killed more than three dozen people, will open to cars on Saturday.
Starting March 15, heavy trucks will also be able to use the tunnel that links France and Italy, Transport Minister Jean-Claude Gayssot said.
On that date, a system of alternating traffic will be put in place so that vehicles traveling from the French side will alternate with vehicles from the Italian side.
The tunnel passed its final round of safety tests on Monday.
‘‘We spent two billion French francs (around €2.29m) to rebuild Mont Blanc tunnel,’’ Gayssot told LCI television. ‘‘Security has been reinforced considerably.’’
The Mont Blanc tunnel has been closed since March 1999, when 39 people died after a truck caught fire in the tunnel. The blaze burned for two days while firefighters tried to reach cars and people trapped inside.
An investigation into the accident is continuing. Twelve people have been placed under formal investigation, one step short of being criminally charged.
