Providing a shared approach to road tunnel safety

On 29th and 30th June 2026, around fifteen stakeholders involved in the operation and safety of road tunnels gathered at the CETU for a two-day training course.

The participants, representing Interdepartmental Road Directorates, local authorities, emergency services, local government agencies, motorway companies and engineering consultancies, were thus able to gain a better understanding of the general context of tunnel safety as it applies to them.

Following a brief overview of France’s road tunnel infrastructure and general operational principles, the session moved on to a review of the fundamentals of tunnel safety, the specific risks associated with this type of structure, and the regulatory framework.

The principles of the safety approach and associated tools, such as the Emergency and Safety Plan (PIS), were also discussed.

A practical case study of implementing a safety approach provided an opportunity to compare the lessons learnt with feedback from real-world experience.

The next training course of this kind will be organised at the CETU in the second half of 2026.