Ventilation upgrade for Gotthard Tunnel

摘要

The 16.9km long Gotthard Road Tunnel, in Switzerland, is the key element of one of the most important road connections through the Alps. The single-bore tunnel with bi-directional traffic on two lanes was constructed between 1968 and 1980 and officially opened on 5 September 1980. The tunnel's safety record was excellent before the tragic fire on 24 October 2001, which claimed 11 victims and caused a two-month closure of the tunnel. None of the 67 fires (7 of which involved HGVs) registered between 1992 and 2001 had serious consequences. This has been mainly due to three,key safety elements: 1. 64 shelters, located every 250m, connected to a safety tunnel (originally constructed as a pilot for a second tunnel tube), pressurised and ventilated independently from the main tunnel 2. a powerful transverse ventilation system 3. an efficient intervention structure, with intervention teams at both tunnel portals.