The Gotthard road tunnel will be closed for most of the week.
The Federal Councillor Albert Rösti says traffic should be flowing by Friday at the latest.
The tunnel was closed on Sunday after parts of the roof started to crash down onto the road.
The Federal Roads Office says it believes a shift in the weight in the mountain is to blame.
In the meantime, authorities in Ticino are calling for the creation of a Gotthard crisis team, saying the tunnel closure could cost the local economy millions, which is only heightening the problems while the train tunnel is also closed.
The head of the Ticino Chamber of Commerce, Luca Albertoni, says firms in the canton are in a highly competitive environment with others in the country and the transport disruption is potentially highly damaging.
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