Stock Photo - Mar. 03, 1964 - To Italy In Six Minutes Flat. After six years work, the £10,000,000 great St. Bernard road tunnel under the St. Bernard Pass in the Alps, linking Switzerland and Italy. The 3.7 mile tunnel takes about 6 minutes to drive through and cuts about 65 miles off the journey. The tunnel, which is built at 1,200 ft above sea level, is the highest in Europe, and has a total of nine miles of covered approach roads to the two entrances, to make it an all-year road, whereas the pass road is often blocked from November to June. Photo Shows:- The first cars passing through the tunnel on the opening day yesterday. (Credit Image: © Keystone Press Agency/Keystone USA via ZUMAPRESS.com)