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Gotthard Tunnel - Click 'Details' for more information
Gotthard Road Tunnel
The south side with the second tunnel, never used for road traffic, shown on the right.The St. Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland runs from Göschenen in the Canton of Uri at its northern portal, to Airolo in Ticino to the south, and is just under 16.4 kilometres (10.5 miles) in length below the St. Gotthard Pass. It is the third-longest road tunnel in the world after Norway's Lærdal Tunnel (24.5 km), and China's Zhongnanshan Tunnel (18 km).
History:
The Swiss government gave approval in July 1969 for the construction of the 16 kilometer Gotthard Road tunnel with four large ventilation shafts and an additional side gallery between 10 and 18 meters from the main tunnel, having its own independent ventilation system in order to facilitate the cutting of a second tunnel, should future traffic levels require it.[1] The tunnel would be longer than any existing road tunnel, and would provide year-round road link between central Switzerland and Milan to be used in place of the Gotthard Pass.[1]
The now widely used motorway tunnel was opened on September 5, 1980, in response to the automobile boom in Switzerland and the popularity of Italy as a travel resort. It remains a single bore tunnel with just one lane operating in each direction.
On Friday, October 24, 2001, a collision of two trucks created a fire in the tunnel, killing eleven and injuring many more, the smoke and gases produced by the fires being the main cause of death. The effects of even small fires in a confined space like a tunnel are extremely serious due to an inability for gases and heat to disperse. For instance carbon monoxide is highly toxic at very low concentrations, having this trapped in a confined space would allow concentrations to build well beyond a fatal level. The tunnel was closed for two months after the accident for repair and cleaning up.