Switzerland's Gotthard tunnel hit by more traffic disruption
The 17-kilometre Gotthard road tunnel, an important north–south axis through the Swiss Alps, was closed to traffic on Sunday, for an undetermined period of time.
Damage to the tunnel’s ceiling 700 metres into the north portal “necessitates this closure,” Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) announced in a press release Monday morning.
“Near the north gate, over a length of 25 metres, small pieces of concrete broke away and fell onto the roadway,” FEDRO said.
No one was injured.
Der #Gotthard-Strassentunnel bleibt bis auf Weiteres gesperrt. Grund dafür ist ein Riss in der Zwischendecke, wie das Bundesamt für Strassen #Astra mitteilt.https://t.co/AmOpfD5Fc6
— SRF News (@srfnews) September 10, 2023
It added that “the reasons which caused the damage as well as the extent of this damage. are not yet known.”
Traffic to and from Ticino is diverted via the San Bernardino axis and the St. Gotthard pass.
“Trucks waiting to continue their journey in the heavy traffic centres in Giornico (TI) and Ripshausen (UR), are being held for the moment,” FEDRO said.
Second incident in one month
The road tunnel closure follows the shutdown of the Gotthard base railway tunnel, after a merchandise train travelling from Italy to Germany came off the track inside the tunnel on August 10th.
READ ALSO: Disruption to rail travel in Switzerland after goods train derails
The rail traffic through the tunnel is not expected to fully resume until the first week of October.
At 57 kilometres long, the Gotthard is the world's longest and deepest (with a maximum depth of 2,450 metres) rail tunnel.
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Damage to the tunnel’s ceiling 700 metres into the north portal “necessitates this closure,” Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) announced in a press release Monday morning.
“Near the north gate, over a length of 25 metres, small pieces of concrete broke away and fell onto the roadway,” FEDRO said.
No one was injured.
Der #Gotthard-Strassentunnel bleibt bis auf Weiteres gesperrt. Grund dafür ist ein Riss in der Zwischendecke, wie das Bundesamt für Strassen #Astra mitteilt.https://t.co/AmOpfD5Fc6
— SRF News (@srfnews) September 10, 2023
It added that “the reasons which caused the damage as well as the extent of this damage. are not yet known.”
Traffic to and from Ticino is diverted via the San Bernardino axis and the St. Gotthard pass.
“Trucks waiting to continue their journey in the heavy traffic centres in Giornico (TI) and Ripshausen (UR), are being held for the moment,” FEDRO said.
Second incident in one month
The road tunnel closure follows the shutdown of the Gotthard base railway tunnel, after a merchandise train travelling from Italy to Germany came off the track inside the tunnel on August 10th.
READ ALSO: Disruption to rail travel in Switzerland after goods train derails
The rail traffic through the tunnel is not expected to fully resume until the first week of October.
At 57 kilometres long, the Gotthard is the world's longest and deepest (with a maximum depth of 2,450 metres) rail tunnel.
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