Mont Blanc Tunnel Open For Christmas
'"Reopening the Mont Blanc to truckers as well as cars would be a criminal act' says the head of local pressure group
Posted: 6 November 2001
by Jon
The Mont Blanc tunnel is due to re-open on December 15 for the
first time since the March 1999 fire which killed 39 people.
The re-opening of the tunnel has become a major issue in the
Chamonix area with local pressure groups calling for the banning of
HGVs to prevent pollution in the classic alpine valley, however a
local court recently over-rulled objections.
According to Outside
Online, the tunnel will initally be opened only to cars with an
alternating direction system once trucks are reintroduced. As a
planned new rail tunnel linking Lyon and Turin is due to open in 2012
and expected to reduce heavy freight traffic on the roads.
Meanwhile the president of the Association pour le Respect du Site
du Mont Blanc (which has an online petition) is reported as saying
"Reopening the Mont Blanc to truckers as well as cars would be a
criminal act - and I'm weighing my words."
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