Bilateral Exercise at Somport Tunnel: Circulation Banned This Wednesday

A civil security drill between France and Spain will lead to the closure of the Somport tunnel for several hours this Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

Bilingual road sign for the Somport tunnel indicating closure.
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Bilingual road sign for the Somport tunnel indicating closure.

The Somport tunnel will be closed to traffic this Wednesday, September 30, 2026, from 4:00 PM to 11:00 PM, due to a bilateral civil security exercise between France and Spain.

An annual bilateral exercise, involving France and Spain, will take place at the Somport Tunnel this Wednesday, September 30, 2026, from 4:00 PM to at least 11:00 PM. This drill aims to test civil security protocols.
To ensure user safety, the Prefect of Pyrénées-Atlantiques has activated scenario n°1 of the traffic management plan "Vallée d’Aspe – RN 134". All traffic will be halted within the tunnel for the duration of the exercise and until the road infrastructure is restored.
By exception, and depending on traffic conditions, vehicles transporting dangerous goods and those over 3.5 tonnes PTAC will be permitted to use the RN 134 between the Forges d’Abel junction and the Somport pass, in both directions. Appropriate signage will be in place.
These restrictions do not apply to emergency vehicles, gendarmerie vehicles, vehicles of the Somport tunnel operator, or services from the Departmental Directorate for Territories and the Sea (DDT(M)), the Departmental Directorate for Population Protection (DDPP), and the Interdepartmental Directorate of Atlantic Roads (DIRA).
Based on information from the official source: DIR Atlantique - Direction interdépartementale des routes (29/09/2026)