Sierre Tunnel

{{Short description|Road tunnel in Switzerland}}

{{Infobox tunnel

|name = Sierre Tunnel

|image = Entrée Est du tunnel de Sierre.JPG

|image_size =

|caption = East portal (2012)

|location = Sierre, Valais, Switzerland

|coordinates = {{coord|46.284|7.532|display=inline}}

|route = A9 Autobahn

|status =

|start =

|end =

|startwork =

|opened = 1999

|close =

|owner =

|operator =

|traffic =

|character =

|toll =

|vpd =

|construction =

|length = 2,460 metres (8,070 ft)

|lanes =

|speed =

|hielevation =

|lowelevation =

|height =

|width =

|grade = Good

}}

The Sierre Tunnel ({{langx|fr|Tunnel de Sierre}}) is a tunnel near Sierre in the Swiss canton of Valais. It is part of the A9 Autobahn and is located between Sierre and Sierre-Est-Ouest.

The tunnel was opened in 1999 and consists of two tubes of 2,460 metres (8,070 ft) in length. In a tunnel test by the European Tunnel Assessment Programme (EuroTAP) in 2005 it was rated as "good" – the second-highest grade out of five.{{cite web| title=EuroTAP: 49 EUROPEAN TUNNELS TESTED|url=http://www.eurotestmobility.net/images/filelib/tunneltest_2005en2_1575.pdf|publisher=Euro Test|date=|accessdate=16 March 2012}}

The two tubes consist of four linked tunnels, namely,

• Alusuisse — 1,070 metres (3,510 ft),
• Contoured — 620 metres (2,030 ft),
• Crête Plane — 180 metres (590 ft), and
• Ancien Sierre Plant Composition — 580 metres (1,900 ft).

The Sierre Tunnel came to international attention in March 2012 after a coach crash inside resulted in the deaths of 28 people, including 22 children, who were returning to Belgium from a school skiing holiday.{{cite news| title=Swiss official: Bus carrying kids was not speeding|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gFByJaTWRiOsQxYWBSIdgpAkpSNQ?docId=5b1adb0be7824cb4b68656e50f08931f|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316181104/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gFByJaTWRiOsQxYWBSIdgpAkpSNQ?docId=5b1adb0be7824cb4b68656e50f08931f|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 16, 2012|publisher=AP|date=14 March 2012}}

File:Tunnel de Sierre côté Ouest.JPG