Geneva in second lake tunnel vote
12 January 2015SWITZERLAND – Residents of Geneva are set to vote on a road tunnel under the city’s lake. The vote comes just a few months after a 1.5km tunnel was rejected by 63 per cent of ballots.
The committee behind the initiative hopes that a longer, 4km tunnel would ensure traffic doesn't end up crossing the city and causing congestion at other main lake crossing points such as the Mont Blanc bridge.
The project is expected to cost USD 2.5bn to USD 3.3bn, but would not open before 2030 at the earliest. Local media reports that the Swiss government does not see financing a large infrastructure project in Geneva as a priority. However, a bridge vs tunnel debate has been raging in Geneva for years.
Prior to the recent vote, in 1988 voters agreed in principle to a new lake crossing, but in 1996 rejected either a bridge or a tunnel option by a two-thirds majority.
