The long-awaited Tende tunnel connecting France and Italy will be officially inaugurated on 27th June, more than a decade after works began, yet motorists will have to wait an extra day to use the route.

After 12 years of delays and ballooning costs, the Franco-Italian Tende tunnel will finally be inaugurated on 27th June. But in a scenario echoing recent infrastructure unveilings in the region, the ribbon-cutting will be ceremonial only. Public traffic will not be permitted until the following morning, 28th June, as was the case with the new Mathis tunnel in Nice.

Local mayor Jean-Pierre Vassallo did not hold back in his comments, labelling the project a “complete and total failure”, despite welcoming its long-overdue reopening. “It’s a breath of fresh air for the local population,” he said, while lamenting that the tunnel is reopening under 2013-era conditions: alternating one-way traffic, regulated by lights.

Traffic rules and operating hours still under debate

Only vehicles under 3.5 tonnes will be permitted to use the tunnel initially. A strict alternation system via traffic lights will allow passage every 30 minutes, with speeds capped at 70 km/h, dropping to 50 km/h near the curved entrances. French and Italian authorities remain in discussions over the precise schedule. France favours three daily slots—morning, midday, and evening—while Italy is pushing for a morning and evening window to leave space for daytime construction work on the French approach, which won’t be completed until March 2026.

Technicians are also adjusting the “svuotamento” timing—an Italian term for the vehicle clearance interval—ensuring one direction clears the tunnel entirely before the next wave begins. On busy days, such as Sunday afternoons, these intervals could be tweaked to manage heavy cross-border flow.

Old traffic levels expected to return

Forecasts suggest 1.2 million vehicles annually, a return to pre-Tempête Alex levels before the original tunnel’s closure. Yet current limitations may frustrate drivers expecting a modern, high-capacity route.

Rising costs, delayed penalties

Originally budgeted far lower, the works have now cost €255 million, 42% of which was funded by France. With plans to also modernise the old tunnel, total costs could hit €330 million. Edilmaco, the Italian consortium overseeing the works, was meant to face penalties of €130,000 per day for delays after a revised deadline of 7th January 2025. However, according to reports, Edilmaco is seeking to push the deadline further to avoid these fines—while requests for updates from the Italian road authority Anas have gone unanswered.

The tunnel’s reopening offers a necessary boost to cross-border transport, but frustrations linger over the pace and transparency of its troubled redevelopment.

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