This set-up also provides different light patterns and designs on the tunnel’s walls to ward off boredom as drivers traverse its 9.67-mile length in either of the three-lane tunnel tubes.
Gotthard Road Tunnel, Switzerland – 10.46 miles (16.84km)
Previously the longest road tunnel in the world, the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland has slipped down the ranking as new projects have overtaken for length. However, the Gotthard has been in operation for much longer than any other in the top 10 as it opened in 1980.
Work started on the Gotthard Road Tunnel in 1970 and it carries traffic to a maximum height if 1175-metres (3855-feet), which is higher than Yr Wyddfa (Mount Snowdon) in Wales.
Gotthard Road Tunnel, Switzerland – 10.46 miles (16.84km)
It takes around 13 minutes to drive through the Gotthard Road Tunnel as the 80kmh speed limit is strictly enforced. There is also a toll charge to pay for using the tunnel and it’s capable of carrying up to 24,000 vehicles per day. The Gotthard Base Tunnel is unusual in modern road tunnelling for using a single tube to carry both directions of traffic.
In 2016, 57% of the Swiss population voted in favour of building a second Gotthard road tunnel in a referendum.
Jinpingshan Tunnel, China – 10.90 miles (17.54km)
While all of the other road tunnels in the top 10 are open to the public, the Jinpingshan Tunnel restricts what traffic can use it. This is because the tunnel was built to provide access to the Jinping Dam, which is the world’s highest dam, and access between this and another hydropower dam. The Jinpingshan Tunnel runs through an area noted for its geological activity in south-west China.
This is partly why access to the tunnel is limited, and also because of security surrounding the hydroelectric complex at the dam.
Jinpingshan Tunnel, China – 10.90 miles (17.54km)
At its deepest point, the Jinpingshan Tunnel runs 2375-metres beneath the earth’s surface, and more than half of the tunnel’s entire length sits at more than 1500-metres deep. It took five years to build the Jinpingshan Tunnel and, at the time, was the longest tunnel made with a blind heading.
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