Gotthard Road Tunnel
The south entrance of Gotthard Road Tunnel
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Switzerland |
| Coordinates | 46°40′18″N 8°35′33″E / 46.67167°N 8.59250°ECoordinates: 46°40′18″N 8°35′33″E / 46.67167°N 8.59250°E |
| Route | A2 |
| Start | Göschenen, Uri (north) |
| End | Airolo, Ticino (south) |
| Operation | |
| Constructed | 5 May 1970 |
| Opened | 5 September 1980 |
| Owner | Swiss Confederation |
| Operator | Amt für Betrieb der Nationalstrassen of the cantons of Uri, Ticino, Nidwalden, and Schwyz |
| Traffic | Automotive |
| Toll | none (included in the mandatory Vignette) |
| Vehicles per day | 17354 (2014) |
| Technical | |
| Length | 16.9 kilometres (10.5 mi) |
| No. of lanes | 2 |
| Operating speed | 80 km/h (50 mph) |
| Highest elevation | 1,146 m (3,760 ft) (south portal) |
| Lowest elevation | 1,080 m (3,540 ft) (north portal) |
The Gotthard Road Tunnel in Switzerland runs from Göschenen in the canton of Uri at its northern portal, to Airolo in Ticino to the south, and is 16.9 kilometres (10.5 mi) in length below the St Gotthard Pass, a major pass of the Alps. At the time of the construction, in 1980, it was the longest road tunnel in the world; it is currently the fourth-longest. Although it is a motorway tunnel, part of the A2 from Basel to Chiasso, it consists of only one bidirectional tube with two lanes. With an elevation of 1,146 metres (3,760 ft) at the tunnel's southern portal, the A2 motorway has the lowest maximum elevation of any direct north-south road through the Alps.
The Gotthard Road Tunnel is one of the three tunnels that connect the Swiss Plateau to southern Switzerland and run under the Gotthard Massif, the two other being railway tunnels, the Gotthard Tunnel (1882) and the Gotthard Base Tunnel (2016). All three tunnels bypass the Gotthard Pass, an important trade route since the 13th century. The pass road culminates about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above the tunnel, at a height of 2,106 metres (6,909 ft), and is only passable in summer.
In response to the automobile boom in Switzerland and other things, the Swiss government gave approval in July 1969 for the construction of the 17-kilometre (11 mi) Gotthard Road tunnel. The tunnel would be longer than any existing road tunnel, and would provide a year-round road link from the Swiss Plateau to southern Switzerland, and from northern to southern Europe as well, to be used in place of the Gotthard Pass. The tunnel was built roughly parallel to the old railway tunnel, with portals a few hundred metres away from those of the railway. Prior to the opening of the tunnel, cars were transported through the nearby railway tunnel on car shuttle trains. Following the catastrophic fire in the road tunnel in 2001, car shuttle trains resumed operations for a few weeks.
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