30 years of the Gotthard road tunnel
-
Students from canton Ticino south of the Alps demonstrate in favour of the Gotthard road tunnel: "We do not want to be Swiss only in summer." (RDB) -
Göschenen in 1955. Until the tunnel opened in 1980 trains that carried cars were the only secure link between northern Switzerland and canton Ticino. (Keystone) Keystone -
Construction work in the Gotthard road tunnel - 1971. (RDB) RDB -
The opening of the road tunnel on September 5, 1980, was enthusiastically celebrated by the people of Airolo. (Keystone) Keystone -
Trucks cross each other in the 16.91km-long tunnel. (Keystone) Keystone -
The Tour de Suisse cycling race, June 2000. In summer the old Gotthard Pass road, the so-called "Tremola", is a popular day's outing. (Keystone) Keystone -
Eleven people were killed on October 24, 2001, in a fire which broke out following a collision between two trucks. (Keystone) Keystone -
The wreck of a car one week after the accident. (Keystone) Keystone -
The control room at the southern end of the Gotthard tunnel, decorated for Christmas. (Keystone) Keystone -
"The Alps, Toilet of Europe". Demonstration in Airolo on December 21, 2001, against the Avanti Initiative, which called for the construction of a second tunnel. (Keystone) Keystone -
Traffic comes to a standstill near Wassen on May 5, 2005. (Keystone) Keystone -
Waiting in Amsteg on April 30, 2005. Keystone
Emotions, a fire and traffic jams.
This content was published on September 1, 2010 - 10:06The Gotthard Tunnel is the longest road tunnel in Switzerland and the third-longest in the world at 16.4km.
This article was automatically imported from our old content management system. If you see any display errors, please let us know: community-feedback@swissinfo.ch
Contributions under this article have been turned off. You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.