On Saturday 13 August 2011 we left Nantua to drive through the Mount Blanc Tunnel into Italy.
The traffic was heavy as this was a long weekend. Twenty minutes up the highway we saw smoke. A campervan was well alight by the time we approached it and a local gendarme was already on the spot. We were the fourth car back when the gendarme estimated that the fuel tanks were dangerous and stopped the traffic. We spent about 90 minutes waiting for fire services from both sides of the highway to put the fire out and make both sides of the highway safe.
The traffic was heavy as this was a long weekend. Twenty minutes up the highway we saw smoke. A campervan was well alight by the time we approached it and a local gendarme was already on the spot. We were the fourth car back when the gendarme estimated that the fuel tanks were dangerous and stopped the traffic. We spent about 90 minutes waiting for fire services from both sides of the highway to put the fire out and make both sides of the highway safe.
The red-orange at the bottom of the black smoke is flame.
The truck and the three cars in front of us have been backed up. The first of dozens of motorcyclists has arrived in the lay-by on the right.
The area has been cordoned off from both directions and the fuel and gas tanks are audibly exploding.
We have been stopped for 90 minutes. At least the cars at the front have had something to look at ... it must have been awful at the end of this very long line of halted traffic not knowing why the traffic was completely stopped. And who knows how far the tailback went? 20km? 50km?
And the final result - this was a largish campervan.
We had a long way to go and an arrival time to meet, so we didn't stop for photos again - except for Mount Blanc, of course.
This is the sign board in the panorama area. The real vista is below.
Mount Blanc is at the back in the cloud. Doesn't look too high does it? But remember, at this point, we are already at 2,000 metres. Only another 2,800 metres to go!
Finally we are there.
Queueing again! As I have said, this was the high summer long weekend and the roads were extremely busy. Here we are about to pay our money and go through the Mount Blanc tunnel and enter Italy.
Queueing again! As I have said, this was the high summer long weekend and the roads were extremely busy. Here we are about to pay our money and go through the Mount Blanc tunnel and enter Italy.
The tunnel toll is $37 euros, one way ($53 AUD) and the tunnel is 11.6 km long, most of which is in France. It is no longer one of the longest tunnels in the world - they are in Norway (24 km) and China (18 km). You are required to drive no slower than 50 kph and no faster than 70 kph, at a distance of 150 m from the car in front. The 150 m is regulated by wall lights. All these rules (for both the Mount Blanc and Frejus tunnels) were introduced after the fatal fire in 1999 when 39 people died. I don't mind obeying the rules! Being stopped in traffic in a tunnel, even a little one (and this id NOT little), is not a pleasant feeling.
At the other side we swap the order and gentility of France for the chaos and bravado of Italy.
Next - Lago Lugano.
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