It’s a very beautiful, brand new tunnel on the Fastway 52, between Rombas and Marange-Silvange… but be careful it is reserved for cars, motorcycles and heavy goods vehicles. Barely inaugurated a week ago, the tunnel had to close three times because of pedestrians. The authorities want to send this message: it’s dangerous and it’s forbidden to use the tunnel on foot or by bike.
“It doesn’t have to become a new habit at all.“.
Baptiste Beck from the traffic management center, DIR EST Myrabelle monitors the main roads. He already laments 3 cases of crossings causing the closure of the tunnel and inconvenience for users. These intrusions did not fail to attract the attention of remote monitoring operators, so “the closing of the tunnel is activated in a few moments, remotely, from the security PC“
Like all automobile roads, the tunnel is also forbidden to tractors and cars without a permit.
A false sense of security for cyclists and pedestrians
A 400 meter tunnel with a very small sidewalk for emergencies and an emergency exit, we can believe that it is without danger… but not at all. According to Nadjwa Pailloux, head of CISGT Myrabelle, the organization that monitors and takes care of the roads here. “It’s a false sense of security“. This bad sense of security is due to the novelty of the tunnel, and the small emergency sidewalk. Moreover, according to her “Seeing the end of the tunnel gives a feeling that going through it is easy”.
Alternative paths are possible and without danger, like the old route, while waiting for a new path to be built above the open trench of Marange Silvange.
– Alexandre Mottot
After thirty years of discussions and titanic works, the VR52 Tunnel is a very modern construction. An artificial intelligence program gives the alert in the event of a problem such as smoke due to opacity detection. Operators scan the premises tirelessly day and night. So, at the slightest doubt, the tunnel is closed remotely. Christophe Téjédode the exploitation at the Dir-Est explains to us “there are 9 cameras in one direction and 9 in the other, someone driving around is filmed from all angles“. in the event of a problem, the tunnel is closed and a team is sent to the site.