The tunnel de l'Étoile is a tunnel in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. In the past it was a road tunnel, but since 2020 it is a bicycle tunnel. It links the

avenue des Champs-Élysées Avenue or Avenues may refer to: Roads * Avenue (landscape), traditionally a straight path or road with a line of trees, in the shifted sense a tree line itself, or some of boulevards (also without trees) * Avenue Road, Bangalore * Avenue Road, Lo ...

to the

avenue de la Grande Armée The Avenue de la Grande Armée is an avenue in Paris, France, marking the boundary between its 16th and 17th arrondissements. It was formerly named Avenue de la Porte Maillot as part of Route nationale 13, but was renamed to its present name in ...

, passing underneath the

place Charles de Gaulle Place Charles de Gaulle (), historically known as the Place de l'Étoile (), is a large road junction in Paris, France, the meeting point of twelve straight avenues (hence its historic name, which translates as "Square of the Star") including t ...

and the

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (, , ; ) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the ''étoile'' ...

. It is around 400 metres long.

History

While being a road tunnel, it had two

one way One-way or one way may refer to: * One-way traffic, a street either facilitating only one-way traffic, or designed to direct vehicles to move in one direction *One-way travel, a trip that does not return to its origin Music *One Way (American ba ...

lanes. Its entrance has been the site of many road traffic accidents by trucks. In effect the tunnel has a height of , which was only signalled by a sign hanging above the entrance. Trucks are too high and hit the tunnel roof. No portico can be built on the surface since it would affect the appearance of the Arc de Triomphe and breach the Arc's listing statute. In 2009 an accident occurred there every two weeks. In March 2015, the tunnel was "temporarily" closed, but it never reopened for motorized traffic. In May 2020, the tunnel reopened as a bicycle tunnel.

References

*
Paris : spectaculaire accident sous le tunnel de l'Étoile
', ''

Le Parisien ''Le Parisien'' (; French for "The Parisian") is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and its suburbs. It is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, better known as LVMH. Histor ...

'', 10 September 2009 *
Enquête sur un scandale de 2m40 : les accidents de camion du tunnel de l’Etoile
', citizenside.com, 24 November 2009
2m40
blog on accidents at the tunnel entrance ;Notes {{DEFAULTSORT:Tunnel De L'etoile Road tunnels in France Buildings and structures in the 17th arrondissement of Paris Cycling tunnels