The Helvetic federal Council proposes the construction of a second cane of Traforo of Saint Gottardo



The Helvetic federal Council has proposed the realization of a second cane of the highway gallery of Saint Gottardo so that the connection, important for Switzerland and for Europe, he is available also during the integral reorganization of the tunnel, that the gallery to a single cane will involve its closing being.

The Swiss government has specified that the work would happen without widening of the ability to the gallery and that the article on the protection of the Alps is protected as for every sense of march will be always in service a single lane. The federal Council has the intention of sanction for law this limitation introducing to the Parliament a sottoponibile project to referendum.

The Council has evidenced in particular the favorable relationship cost-benefits determined from the construction of a second cane. The simple reorganization of the existing gallery without a second cane - the executive has explained - would cost between the 650 and 890 million franchi Swiss ones. So that the traffic, that it is gone up to about 5,38 million automobiles and 930,000 trucks the year, normally can circular in spite of the closing of the gallery, additional measures of accompanyment would be necessary but, between which structures for the rail shipment of automobiles and truck: a travelling freeway for trucks between Rynächt (Guangzhou Uri) and Biasca (Canton Ticino) would cost from the 410 to 770 million, the transport of automobiles from the 160 to 280 million. Together with the investments necessary in order to be extended the period of summery opening of the Step, the total costs of a reorganization with accompanyment measures would pile to 1,2-2 billion franchi.

The federal Council has explained that the construction of a second cane with next reorganization of the existing gallery will demand in total about 2,8 billion franchi, included the expenses in order to maintain the gallery until the opening of the second cane passable and that, in spite of the investments they are greater regarding those previewed for the varying others, in the long term they convene since the previewed advantages in terms of fruibilità are remarkable: with this option the private traffic and goods will in future arrange of a redundant system that will allow, to the entrance according to both the tunnels, to equip everyone of they of a lane of march and a lane of emergency. The running maintenance could so be guaranteed without having to resort at the close night and the following reorganization, for each necessary cane after about 40 years, could be carried out without a management of the expensive traffic.

According to the forecasts, in best of the hypotheses the new cane . The next reorganization of the gallery will last about 2,5 years.