Closure of the Tunnel de Chambon Means Loss of Business for La Grave

Since a 60m crack was found in the walls of the 750m long Tunnel de Chambon earlier this month, it has been closed. 

The tunnel on the D1901 road, connects 2 Alpes to La Grave and is also a main connecting route for Briançon & Grenoble. Since its closure there has been a significant drop in numbers of people using the La Grave telecabine, and numerous people have had to cancel late season trips. 

The knock on effect to local businesses has been bad, with some businesses closing all together until the tunnel is re-opened and it has also resulted in local residents finding ingenious ways to get to work or school - by boat across the lake! The boats have been provided by local councils, offering 3 in the morning & 3 in the evening, but it seems that won't be enough espsccially when children return to school on Monday.

The tunnel remains unstable and is going to be technically complicated to repair. For now it means a very quiet end to the season in La Grave with the date for re-opening the tunnel seemingly a long way off.