Haute-Savoie: hours of traffic jams at the entrance to the Mont-Blanc tunnel before the Easter weekend – France 3 Regions

Significant traffic jams formed on Friday morning at the entrance to the Mont-Blanc tunnel, in the France-Italy direction, on the eve of the Easter weekend. Monday will also be a black day in the direction of returns. Impressive queues. In the access ramp to the Mont-Blanc tunnel this Friday, April 15, from 6 a.m., traffic was slow. Motorists leaving for Italy spent up to 3 hours in traffic on the eve of the Easter weekend. “It’s always complicated but we have to leave. We only have four days, we have to do it like that”, explains a motorist. Many Swiss were waiting in traffic jams to reach Italy for this long weekend of rest. These Easter celebrations are traditionally classified as black days by the Mont-Blanc tunnel teams who anticipate this high attendance. “Thursday, 7,000 vehicles crossed the tunnel. On a normal day, we are more around 4,000. It’s almost double the traffic on a weekend like this”, explains Grégory Schwarshaupt, deputy tunnel director du Mont-Blanc (TMBGEIE). If this sustained attendance is an exceptional situation for users, it is a fair return to normal, before the Covid-19 crisis, for tunnel staff. “There is a timing at the toll gates. Once the vehicles have paid, they have to wait about 8 seconds before entering the tunnel. That’s what explains the jam, it’s a question of safety”, adds Erika Noro, an employee of the Mont-Blanc tunnel. The traffic was also very dense for the trucks which are authorized to circulate until 10 p.m. this Friday. Monday is also classified as black, this time in the direction of returns.