The Frejus Tunnel between Modane (France) and Bardoneccchia (Italy) is due to re-open Thursday August 4th. for vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes; after the damage caused by fatal June truck fire. Heavier vehicles have to wait until August 23rd.
This is an official announcement from Isoradio 103:3 (State run traffic radio service in Italy)
Don
I’ve just checked out there webcam and there are artics queueing up now,so maybe it’s fully open again.
The SITAF and the SFTRF have announced that the Fréjus Tunnel will be reopened to traffic on Thursday 4th August 2005 at 08.00h. However, alternate traffic flow will be in place for vehicles of over 3.5t (one hour in each direction). This restriction will be lifted on 23rd August 2005 if the new security measures prove satisfactory. Dangerous goods transport is forbidden in the tunnel until such time as the automatic incident detection system becomes operational. expected end August, beginning September 2005.
The authorities remind drivers that owing to the potential risk for tunnel users, any vehicle which runs out of fuel after passing the toll barriers or in the tunnel and requiring the intervention of tunnel personnel will be subject to a fine of €300 for light vehicles or €1500 for heavy vehicles.
Quite interesting to read about the court case about the other fire in the Blanc this week.
The tunnel managers and safety staff have been fined with some jailed, albeit suspended and the original driver was also fined and threatened with prison.
He was Belgian, and when seeing the fire in his load, stopped the truck and abandoned it, blocking the tunnel exit. The italians made things worse by switching on the fans and feeding the fire while both side continued to allow vehicles to enter the tunnel
Volvo seem to have come out of it ok because the Italians were trying to blame Volvo for causing the fire, due to a manufacturing design fault! which was not proven