Road tunnels
Road tunnel infrastructure
As of 31st December 2024, France had 1,011 road tunnels in operation. They are spread unevenly across the country and are operated by different entities depending on their location on the road network.
The ‘2025 Status Report on Road Tunnels in Operation in France’ highlights some figures on road tunnels, such as the distribution by operator, by length, by geographic area (“département”), and the age of the infrastructure.
2025 Status Report on Road Tunnels in Operation in France
Atlas
For more details on a particular tunnel, the Tunnel Atlas presents all French tunnels classified by geographic area. For each tunnel, the following information is provided: the tunnel owner, the road on which the tunnel is located, the type of tunnel, the authorised gauge, the operator, the year of commissioning, dangerous goods transport conditions, etc.
The Atlas, in PDF format, can be downloaded by clicking on the link below.
Road Tunnel Atlas January 2025
Estimated download time: 1 minute.
Operators and managers have been asked to validate the data for their tunnels.
The Atlas is updated every six months.
Tunnels longer than 300 metres
Why this distinction?
Tunnels longer than 300 metres are subject to specific legislation. The French highway regulations (Art. R. 118-1), stipulate that ‘Construction work or substantial modifications to a road network infrastructure whose operation presents particular risks to human safety may not be undertaken until the State has issued an assessment of the preliminary safety documentation sent to the State representative, accompanied by a safety report drawn up by a qualified, approved expert or body.’
Regarding tunnels, Art. R. 118-1-1 stipulates that ‘infrastructures whose operation presents particular risks to human safety, as described in Article L. 118-1, include road tunnels longer than 300 metres.’
France has 209 tunnels longer than 300 metres. All of these tunnels are listed in the tables available at the bottom of the page and specify the tunnel owner.
Transport of dangerous goods (TMD):
The list below contains information on the rules governing the transport of dangerous goods in tunnels, as defined in the highway regulations (in particular, structures longer than 300 metres).
The CETU database from which this list is taken is updated as regularly as possible on the basis of the information provided. However, the transmission of information relating to the transport of dangerous goods to the CETU by the operator or tunnel owner is not mandatory. Consequently, this list cannot be considered exhaustive and the data it contains is not guaranteed. It is primarily intended for statistical purposes.
When preparing a travel route, and on a on a case-by-case basis, it is the carrier’s responsibility to obtain information on dangerous goods regulations governing tunnels, based on the official documents governing them (highway regulations or orders).
Heritage:
French tunnels over 300m
Tunnels over 300m on the National Road Network not under concession
Tunnels over 300m on the National Road Network under concession
Tunnels over 300m operated by Departmental Councils
Tunnels over 300m operated by other local authorities
Note: According to Article R. 118-1-1 of the French highway regulations: "A tunnel refers to any road or carriageway located under a covered structure which, regardless of its construction method, creates a confined space. A section of road or carriageway located under a covered structure is not a confined space if the covered structure has openings to the outside with a surface area equal to or greater than 1 m² per traffic lane and per metre of carriageway."..