One Third of European Road Tunnels Fail to Pass Safety Test

An independent survey conducted across Europe by the European Tunnel Assessment Program (EuroTAP) has produced the worst safety result for five years. After performing safety tests on 31 tunnels in eleven European countries, EuroTAP inspectors discovered that nine tunnels failed to make the grade.

EuroTAP’s methodology consists of more than 200 criteria classed in eight categories that examine the preventative, mitigating and remedial features of a tunnel as well as its risk and safety potentials. Additionally, a so called knockout criteria leads to any tunnel with a single serious defect automatically having its score downgraded.

Leading the poor results in 2008 are Norway and Italy. In particular, Norway recorded terrible marks with all of the three tunnels tested receiving a rating of “Very Poor”: the Eikefet, Jernfjell and Matreberg tunnels. In Italy’s case, three out of the five tunnels tested are on the losing end: the Breva, Cernobbio and surprise, surprise, the newly built Marinasco tunnel. The biggest loser placed at the bottom of the list is the 2.4 km long Cernobbio tunnel built in 1983 in the city of the same name at Lake Como. –Continued

At the bottom of the list we also find the Belgian Waasland tunnel in Antwerp, the Spanish Pando tunnel (AP 66 near Pola de Lena) and the German Universität Düsseldorf tunnel (in Düsseldorf).

On the bright side, all nine tunnels tested in Austria and Switzerland received positive ratings. Italy also reached positive grades for the Serrone Tondo tunnel (A 3 near Contursi Terme) and the Valsassina tunnel (SS 36 near Lecco). At the top of the list is the 1.3 km long Pont Pla tunnel, opened in 2006, in Andorra la Vella, the capital city of the tiny state of Andorra in the eastern Pyrenees between Spain and France.

“The Tunnel Safety Directive was adopted in 2004 and remarkably public authorities and operators still fail to fulfil our recommendations towards the improvement of tunnel safety disparities across Europe”, said Professor Reinhard Rack, MEP commenting on this year’s results.

“We will continue to test tunnels and to exert public pressure via the media. The people in charge will respond with investment and tunnel refurbishment. The consequences are safe tunnels and ultimately this will benefit everybody" said Robert Sauter, EuroTAP Chairman from the German Automobile club ADAC.