I had never suffered from Claustrophobia until I entered the 17 km (10.5 mile) Gotthard Tunnel.

Definition of Claustrophobia: "abnormal dread of being in closed or narrow spaces"

There seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel! It appears to go on to infinity!

If you are travelling to Italy from most places in Europe then chances are you'll be driving through the Gotthard Tunnel. The first time I did so I thought that the drive would never end. 

The pollution was overwhelming, the heat unbearable and the monotony was hypnotising. I was actually starting to get panicky and that's a feeling that I had never experienced in my entire life! The drive seemed that it would never end and it took super human concentration to cope with the mesmerising effect of the oncoming traffic. 

The fact that I travel often from Ticino in Southern Switzerland to the north of Switzerland or to Germany or France means that I take the tunnel often. Over the years I've driven this tunnel hundreds of times and I have gotten used to it but if I have time I prefer to take the pass over the mountain. It takes about 20 minutes longer but it is closed in the winter and there is no other alternative.

Entering The Tunnel

The entrance to the tunnel at Airolo. We roll down the windows to get fresh air before entering!

Before entering the tunnel there are signs asking you to tune your radio to a certain frequency so that you can listen to important information. An announcements is then made in French, Italian, German and English and it says the following:

"Welcome to the Gotthard Road Tunnel. Keep your radio tuned to this frequency for the latest police announcements. If necessary fire escape shelters may be found every 250 meters along the tunnel. We wish you a pleasant journey."

It all sounds so official, so ominous and frankly a little scary!

How High Does The Temperature Get Inside The Tunnel?

One thing that always amazes me is the rise in temperature inside the tunnel. If you enter and it's below zero Celcius outside once you're at the mid point inside the tunnel it's often close to the mid 30's Celcius!

Notice my temperature gauge before entering the tunnel is at 6°C or 42.8° F.

At about the half way point the temperature gauge is reading 29.5°C or 85.1°F  Further on it was even hotter!

Facts About The Gotthard Tunnel?

• When it was constructed in 1980 it was the longest in the world at 17 km or 10.5 miles.
• It is one of three tunnels but the other two are rail tunnels.
• The tunnels bypass the Gotthard pass which has been an important trade route since the 13th century. 
• Prior to opening the road tunnel cars had to be loaded on trains and cross through the mountain using the train tunnel.
• It is a single bore tunnel with one lane going in each direction.
• The speed limit in the tunnel is 80 km/h (50 mph)
• It takes 15 minutes to drive from one side to the other.
• There are often long traffic lines up to 10 km especially during holiday season.
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Can you see how the narrow tunnel with the oncoming headlights could mesmerise you or is it just me?

A Terrible Collision And Fire

On October 24th 2001 2 trucks collided in the tunnel igniting a fire which killed 11 people and injured many more. The tunnel remained closed after the accident for 2 months in order clean and repair it. After the fire a new law came into effect which allows a maximum of 150 trucks per hour to enter the tunnel.

A Change In Culture And Language in 2o Minutes!

One thing that never ceases to amaze me when I drive through the tunnel is the fact that on one side everyone speaks Italian and 20 minutes later on the other side everyone speaks German! The Architecture is also completely different with typical Italian stone villas on one side and the famous Swiss style Chalets constructed largely of wood on the other.

Typical stone architecture on the Italian speaking side of the tunnel. pixabay.com

On the Swiss German side of the tunnel not only does the language change but so does the architecture. Pixabay.com

What Do You Think?

• Would it surprise you to find a different language after a 20 minute drive?
• What about a different culture and architecture?
• Would the tunnel make you feel claustrophobic?

I hope that you enjoyed this article about the Gotthard Tunnel.

Until next time,

@kus-knee (The Old Dog)

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