Environmentalist protestors blocked the Mont Blanc tunnel in Chamonix on Tuesday, within hours of it reopening to heavy goods vehicles.

Since the tunnel closed after the fire of 1999, there has been a very active local opposition to the tunnel reopening. Closed to all traffic for three years, the tunnel eventually was opened to cars only in March, and as of May, trucks with up to four axles and weighing less than 19 tonnes.

Environmentalists have opposed the reopening, saying exhaust fumes from trucks pollute the beautiful and delicate Alpine region. Local residents oppose allowing heavy freight to use the link, arguing it is too dangerous.

Thousands of protesters assembled on the French side of the tunnel shortly after dawn, forcing traffic to be re-directed to the nearby Frejus tunnel. It was the decision to allow the tunnel to open to heavy goods traffic that prompted the demonstration.

During the night, a small group of protesters blocked the first heavy freight truck trying to use the tunnel from entering and angrily set fire to its contents when they found a television crew aboard the largely-empty Belgian truck.

"We are stunned. That it should have been Belgian television that organised this (the truck), is degrading," said Georges Unia, president of the Association for the Respect of the Mont Blanc Area.

"Luckily the police were there, otherwise it would have been the truck that we would have set alight."

[Story from Reuters and BBC]

Previous reports on Natives

Mont Blanc Tunnel - better off closed? (March 2001)
Petition against Tunnel Grows (March 2000)

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