The Mont Blanc tunnellong 11.6 kmcrosses the mountain and connects Courmayeurin Italy in the Val d’Aosta region, with Chamonixin France. Inaugurated in 1962was the first direct road connection between the two countries.
This tunnel was built jointly by the two countries and the works began in 1957 and ended in 1965.
In the video, thanks to the help of a‘3D entertainmentwe show you the internal structure of the tunnel. Inside, in fact, they are present 400 concrete segmentseach long 29 meters, which constitute the load -bearing bone of the tunnel.
Under the main gallery, they were made Five mini tunnels: one for the evacuation, one for ventilation (where the fresh air is taken from the outside and entered every 10 meters) and one for the aspiration of the toxic fumes, which could develop in the event of a fire.
How was it possible to build such a complex work? In the video we tell the History of its realizationwhich saw the use of innovative techniques for the time. In particular, for the excavation, a vehicle called was used Jumboequipped with 16 Trivelle who practiced holes in which the explosive was introduced. The project then foreseen Two front of the excavationone Italian and a French one, who had to meet perfectly in the heart of the mountain.
At first glance it might seem simple, but with the tools available at the time, this operation was far from obvious. In addition, the two countries challenged each other in one small competition For those who would have completed their front first. As you will see in the video, there was no shortage of difficulty: water infiltrations And, unfortunately, the loss of sixteen workers during the works.
Despite the difficulties, the construction of the tunnel was successfully completed. Today, the Mont Blanc tunnel is a tunnel modern and safesubjected to continuous modernization works.
In the video, we entered the construction sites that were opened from 2 September to 16 December 2024, on the occasion of the renovation of the gallery ceiling.
