Work on the Mont-Blanc tunnel will begin on Monday 11 September 2023 or a couple of days later.
The work will require the tunnel to be closed to all traffic.
Work was scheduled to begin on Monday 4 September 2023, but was delayed after the unscheduled closure of the Fréjus tunnel,
when on 27 August, some of a 700 cubic meter rockfall in the Maurienne Valley hit the protective barrier on the D1006.
As a precautionary measure, the A43 was closed to heavy traffic and so the Fréjus tunnel was not accessible
On Saturday 9 September 2023, the A43 re-opened so the Fréjus is now accessible to heavy vehicles. This is why we can expect the Mont-Blanc tunnel to close on, or soon after, Monday 11 September 2023.
As we are reporting, 2023 is seeing an unprecedented quantity and frequency of rockfalls in the Alps.
The rock in the high mountains is heavily fractured and is 'glued' together with ice. High temperatures are causing the 'glue' to fail and the rock to fall.
