The Great St Bernard Tunnel remains closed until further notice

The Great St Bernard Tunnel remains closed until further notice Keystone-SDA

The heavy snowfall that covered much of canton Valais in southern Switzerland at the end of last week is still wreaking havoc on the canton. An avalanche is still preventing all traffic through the Great St Bernard tunnel.

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The avalanche that broke out last Thursday near the Toules tunnel on the Swiss side of the Great St Bernard Tunnel is still affecting north-south traffic. Boulders and trees swept down by the avalanche have damaged around 300 metres of the tunnel.

According to the company that manages the tunnel, when questioned by Keystone-ATS on Tuesday, “no date has yet been set for its reopening”. As the pass is also closed, it is currently not possible to reach Italy via Bourg-Saint-Pierre.

Restrictions maintained for pedestrians

Around fifteen cantonal roads remain closed, both in the Upper and Central Valais. For the majority, an alternative route has been set up. Two sections are affected by landslides: those between Stalden and Embd and between Vercorin and Itravers. The Ayer – Zinal road is closed due to the risk of avalanches.

Clean-up and safety work is continuing in the Plaine du Rhône. In Sion, all the parks will gradually become accessible during the day. However, the Domaine des Iles will remain closed until Friday evening. Access to Montorge and the banks of the Borgne remains prohibited, likely until the end of the week, according to information from local authorities.

In Sierre, many areas are still inaccessible to pedestrians because of the risk of falling branches. As in Sion, the local authority is asking the public to “respect the tape”.

Translated from French by DeepL/jdp

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