Gotthard Road Tunnel
The St. Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland runs from Göschenen in the Canton of Uri at its northern portal, to Airolo in Ticino to the south, and is just under 16.4 kilometres (10.2 mi) in length below the St. Gotthard Pass. It is the third-longest road tunnel in the world after Norway's Lærdal Tunnel (24.5 km), and China's Zhongnanshan Tunnel (18 km).
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[edit] History
In response to the automobile boom in Switzerland and the popularity of Italy as a travel resort, the Swiss government gave approval in July 1969 for the construction of the 16 kilometre Gotthard Road tunnel. The tunnel would be longer than any existing road tunnel, and would provide year-round road link between central Switzerland and Milan to be used in place of the Gotthard Pass.[1]
The now widely used motorway tunnel was opened on September 5, 1980. It remains a single bore tunnel with just one lane operating in each direction. It has four large ventilation shafts and an additional side gallery between 10 and 18 metres from the main tunnel, having its own independent ventilation system in order to facilitate the cutting of a second tunnel, should future traffic levels require it.[1]
On Friday, October 24, 2001, a collision of two trucks created a fire in the tunnel, killing eleven and injuring many more, the smoke and gases produced by the fires being the main cause of death. The effects of even small fires in a confined space like a tunnel are extremely serious due to an inability for gases and heat to disperse. For instance carbon monoxide is highly toxic at very low concentrations, having this trapped in a confined space would allow concentrations to build well beyond a fatal level. The tunnel was closed for two months after the accident for repair and cleaning.
[edit] Rail tunnels
The St. Gotthard railway tunnel, close but separate from the expressway tunnel, handles rail traffic on the north-south line in Switzerland. It was opened 1882. In this category, however, it is no longer the record-holder. The Seikan Tunnel in Japan and the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France are both in excess of 50 km (31 mi).
Under construction since 2002 and projected to be completed by late 2017, the Gotthard Base Tunnel (a second rail tunnel, 57 km long), will be longer than the first one and be put into operation for the use of express trains travelling from northern Switzerland to the Ticino area and beyond.[2]
[edit] Road conditions
The St. Gotthard tunnel forms part of the A2 motorway in Switzerland, running south from Basel through the tunnel down to Chiasso on the border with Italy.
Traffic flows through only one tunnel, which carries traffic both ways, with each direction allocated only one lane. The tunnel's speed limit is 80 km/h (50 mph).
The tunnel is heavily used and often home to traffic jams both on the north and south ends. In contrast, another tunnel through the Alps, the San Bernardino road tunnel in the canton of Graubünden further east, is relatively uncongested and shorter. The road taken on that expressway is actually longer than the direct route through the St. Gotthard tunnel.
In the tunnel, a distance of 150 m (490 ft) between each truck is enforced.
[edit] Second road tunnel proposals
Construction on a second, parallel road tunnel was started. In first instance it was only built for safety: an escape route in case of accidents. This second tunnel can get built out to a full road tunnel, allowing four lanes of traffic. Efforts to do this have failed, blocked by political resistance. The Alpine Initiative "for the protection of the Alpine region from transit traffic", which raised barriers against road tunnel construction, was initially blocked by the Swiss Parliament. However, a February 1994 Alpine Initiative passed (by 52% of voters), and Parliament upheld the referendum twice through the 1990s. The pro-tunnel Avanti Initiative brought a referendum to voters in February 2004, which was rejected (by 62.8% of voters).[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "News and Views: Gotthard Road Tunnel". Autocar 131 (3843): 29. 31 July 1969.
- ^ Bilger, Burkhard, "The Long Dig: Getting through the Swiss Alps the hard way", The New Yorker, September 15, 2008
- ^ Alpine-initiative.ch, History, accessed 2007-09-05.
[edit] External links
- The official information page of the Gotthard Tunnel (in German and Italian, few pages also in English)
- More statistics and facts (in German) (as well as info on a second expressway tunnel)
Coordinates: 46°36′13″N 008°33′58″E / 46.60361°N 8.56611°E
