The famous 11.6 kilometer long tunnel under the Alps is about sixty years old. It is used by thousands of vehicles every day. During the works, plates in the central part of the tunnel and 76 fans in the vault will be replaced.
The maintenance works were originally scheduled to start on September 4, but a spectacular rockslide on August 27 in the Maurienne Valley led to the closure of the Fréjus tunnel, another important route between France and Italy. To avoid traffic chaos, work on the Mont Blanc tunnel was postponed.
It is expected that approximately 90 percent of freight transport will move to the Fréjus tunnel. In 2024, further work is planned in the Mont Blanc tunnel, on the vault.