San Bernardino (road tunnel)

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The San Bernardino road tunnel is a road tunnel on the A13 motorway/motorroad in Switzerland completed in 1967 and replacing the San Bernardino Pass road.

It begins near the town of San Bernardino, Graubünden, and lasts for 6.6 km (4.8 miles).

A speed limit of 80 km/h (50 mph) is in force, and this is enforced by means of speed-check cameras.

This road tunnel is considerably less prone to traffic jams than the St. Gotthard Tunnel.

The road tunnel is part of the A13 as a single carriageway freeway and therefore passes through one hole without a central physical structure. As there is only one lane per direction, overtaking is not permitted.

A major tunnel tragedy between France and Italy in 1999 triggered a general safety review of road tunnels in several countries including Switzerland. For the San Bernardino Tunnel September 2007 saw the completion of a major safety upgrade. Lighting has been increased and become more evenly diffused, with a corresponding improvement in visibility. Particular care has been taken with the visibility of access points to the reworked escape tunnel, minimizing the risk of escape routes becoming obscured by smoke in the event of a major conflagration.