The Italian-French Intergovernmental
Conference on the Mont Blanc tunnel linking France and Italy via
the Alps has decided to postpone scheduled renovations by a
year, Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said
late Thursday evening.
The tunnel had been due to close last Monday for 15 weeks,
reopening in time for the festive season on December 18.
Tajani said that work to improve the safety of the tunnel would
however go ahead as planned.
Last Friday the company that runs the Mont Blanc tunnel said the
maintenance work would be postponed by several days at least
amid fears of chaos following a landslide on the French side of
the Frejus tunnel further south.
That tunnel was subsequently closed to heavy goods vehicles,
which have been diverted to the Mont Blanc tunnel causing
congestion.
However, Italian transport ministry sources said work on the
Mont Blanc tunnel may actually be put off much longer, until
September 2024.
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