One out of Four European Tunnels is UnsafeThe EuroTest firstly, then the European Tunnel Assessment Programme (EuroTAP) began in 2000 following the Mont Blanc tunnel disaster when 39 people died. Seven years after the Mont Blanc tunnel fire, 25% of the 52 tunnels has been assessed to be dangerous. The EuroTAP 2006 audit has been carried out by 11 European motoring federations in 14 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and UK). View map of tunnels here.The main analysis criteria have been the following: type of tunnel (single or double tube), length, traffic (number of vehicles per hour), percentage of heavy trucks, gradient, entrance portals, regulation or absence of regulation for the transport of dangerous cargoes, lighting and power supply system, traffic monitoring, communication system (radio, loudspeakers, emergency call stations), escape exits and signing of escape exits, anti-fire protection, ventilation system, and emergency situation management by intervention teams. In this year's safety audit, 22 of the 52 tunnels tested were rated "very good", nine were rated "good", eight tunnels were found "acceptable", five were rated "poor" and eight were assessed "very poor". The best tunnel is on the M-12 toll road to Madrid Barajas airport's terminal T-4. The worst tunnel is the Segesta tunnel in Sicily, between Palermo and Trapani. This tunnel is even the worst ever inspected by the EuroTAP. Among the eight tunnels rated "very poor", four are located in Italy. View the results here and visit www.eurotestmobility.com/eurotappub.php Compared to the other European countries, Austria appears as the safest and best tunnel country. The seven tunnels tested all received a positive rating (very good, good or acceptable). Visit www.oeamtc.at/tunneltest for the Austrian results.The inspections in eight tunnels throughout Germany revealed that safety is rather good in the country. Only one, the Dusseldorf University tunnel, was rated "poor". Four tunnels received a "very good" rating: the Hochwald tunnel on the A 71 highway in Thuringia, the newly opened Aubing tunnel on the A 99 in Munich (read E-News Weekly 12/2006), the Coschuetz tunnel on the A 17 and the Kappelberg tunnel in Stuttgart, which has been rehabilitated after receiving a bad rating four years ago. Safety was assessed "acceptable" in three tunnels: Dortmund-Wambel on the B236, Kirchberg on the B294 and Rastatt. Visit www.adac.de/ In Italy, four of the six tunnels surveyed by ACI rank among the most dangerous, with very negative assessments regarding lighting, communication, prevention and escape exits. The tunnels with the poorest results are Monte Pergola (Salerno-Avellino connection), Fossino (A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria), Montecrevola (SS 33 Sempione) and Segesta (A29 Palermo-Trapani). Safety is poor in the Tenda Pass tunnel (SS 20 Cuneo-French border) and acceptable in the Appia Antica tunnel on the orbital motorway around Rome. None of the Italian tunnels inspected this year received a positive or very positive rating. The 1.7 km Segesta tunnel near Calatafimi is equipped with nothing that could save human lives, with the exception of two ducts and a unique cross passage as escape exit. Visit www.aci.it for the Italian results. The M-12 tunnel to Madrid Barajas airport is the safest in this year's EuroTAP inspections In Spain, eight tunnels have been evaluated. The tunnel on the new M-12 highway in Madrid has been judged the best and safest in Europe among the sample of 52 tunnels scrutinized this year. The 1.8 km tunnel, which crosses Juan Carlos I Park, was built and is operated by construction and service group OHL.It comprises two independent tubes carrying two lanes and shoulders which, in the future, will make it possible to operate the tunnel with three lanes in each tube. Both tunnels are connected by three cross passages to facilitate evacuation in the event of a fire. Two of these are for exclusive pedestrian use while the third is an emergency access for ambulances, firefighting or other vehicles and persons, since it is linked to the outside by an exit ramp.The tunnel, inaugurated in 2005 (read E-News Weekly 27/2005, 50/2004 & 12/2002), is equipped with everything that makes a modern tunnel: traffic lights and barriers at the entrances, emergency lanes, video surveillance, efficient anti-fire protection, variable traffic signs, radio and loudspeakers, powerful ventilation systems and qualified staff to control everything that happens inside. Results are very unequal in Spain. Three of the eight Spanish tunnels studied are very safe. They are the M-12 tunnel, Gallaztegui (Guipuzcoa) and Balito (Gran Canaria Island). The 1.1 km-long El Perdon tunnel in Navarre, which opened in November (read E-News Weekly 49/2005 & 9/2005) and carries a daily traffic flow of 14,700 vehicles, and the 2.4 km Nievares tunnel on section Gijon-Villaviciosa of the Cantabrian coastal highway in Asturias, with a traffic of 19,100 vehicles, gained a "good" rating. On the contrary, three of the tunnels - on the M-40 in Madrid, La Rovira in Barcelona and Lorca in Murcia - have been rated "poor" or "very poor".The Ministry of public works will invest EUR6.5 million during the next years to enhance safety in the Lorca tunnel (900 m), in service since 1988 and with a daily traffic count of 14,310 vehicles.The 1.3 km La Rovira urban tunnel crosses El Carmel mountain in Barcelona. It opened in 1984 and has an average daily traffic of 27,000 vehicles. The City Council has already elaborated four improvement plans for the tunnel, which will be implemented between now and 2007, at a total cost of EUR6 million. Visit www.race.es, www.racc.es and www.ejeaeropuerto.com for the Spanish results.Six tunnels have been inspected in Switzerland. Three were rated "very good" (Glion, Confignon and Rosenberg). The Sonnenberg and Faesenstaub tunnel were rated "good" while the Cholfirst tunnel was rated "poor". The Swiss results show that old tunnels can achieve good safety levels after refurbishment. This is the case of the Glion tunnel, opened in 1970, which was completely rehabilitated (read E-News Weekly 46/2005, 34/2004, 17/2004, 50/2003 & 25/2002). The 1,260 m-long Cholfirst tunnel in Zurich canton has no escape exits and its ventilation system is inadequate in case of fire. There are plans to rehabilitate the ventilation of the tunnel by 2007. Visit www.tunnel.tcs.ch for the Swiss results.In the UK, safety standards in the Medway tunnel in Kent, which is only eight years old, have been rated "very poor" in a survey by the AA Motoring Trust. The tunnel is one of the nine worst on the continent, according to the audit. The tunnel, on the A289 near Rochester, came 43rd out of 52 European tunnels surveyed this year. Inspectors found it lacked 24-hour CCTV coverage, automatic fire alarms, automatic detection of traffic incidents, an emergency response plan and regular emergency drills for staff. The CCTV system, tunnel controls, and fire alarms will be replaced as part of a GBP1 million investment over the next two years. The tunnel carries 46,000 vehicles a day and a high number of heavy goods vehicles. Visit www.aatrust.com/files/reports/27042006_Medway_Tunnel_Test_2006.pdfEuroTAP, supported and co-financed by the European Commission, plans to test 150 tunnels in Europe by 2007 and a report will be published. Click here. 20/06.