Inadequate safety standards in European tunnels was in the spotlight again after a recent safety survey of 25 road tunnels found that eight of the tunnels inspected had safety standards between the poor and very poor rating. The survey was carried out in the wake of last year’s Mont Blanc Tunnel fire that killed 41 people (May ’99).
The programme of tests was carried out between 21 Feb 2000 and 11 March 2000 by ADAC in association with Deutsche Montan Technologie GmbH (DMT), experts in fire protection, ventilation and construction.
The tunnels were chosen from eight European countries: Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Great Britain, Spain, Belgium and Germany.
DMT drew up a checklist containing safety related criteria including: tunnel system (number of tubes etc), condition, traffic volume control and monitoring, communication, escape routes, aspects of tunnel fire procedures and crisis management. Each tunnel was marked according to its facilities in relation to the criteria.
The tunnels examined had a maximum score of 1000 points achievable. Fire ventilation and preventative measures accounted for 40 per cent with escape routes, communication and tunnel system/grade accounting for 30%. Results were split into five subsections from very good, equal to or higher than 90 per cent of the overall number of points available, to very poor, less than 60per cent of the overall number of points available. Top rating tunnel was the Gubrist tunnel in Switzerland with 86%. Notably, no tunnel scrutinised achieved a rating of very good. Two tunnels achieved a very poor rating, the Fornaci Tunnel in Italy with 58 per cent and the Alfonso XIII Tunnel in Spain. The Tauern Tunnel in Austria, which suffered a fire in May last year last year killing 12 people, achieved only an acceptable rating with serious room for improved facilities noted by ADAC and DMT.
The organisers of the survey have slammed five tunnel operators, one in the UK and four from Italy, who refused to take part in the assessment. Operators of the Dartford tunnel in the UK, Dartford River Crossings Limited defended their refusal to be tested saying "We consider another inspection to be inappropriate." In the report ADAC urges those who refused to be tested to " put an end to their cover up tactics and openly present the safety of their tunnels."
