Costs for the entire project amounted to approximately 1,700 billion Italian liras (nearly €890 million) - instead of the initially foreseen 80 billion Italian liras, due to unforeseen circumstances.

[2] The tunnels host the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, the largest underground research center in the world.

These labs are located approximately 1,400 metres under the Gran Sasso massif, protecting the experiments from cosmic rays.

It's also Europe’s longest double-barrel tunnel, ranking twelfth in the world.

[2] The highway over the mountain, which now sees little traffic, has been renamed the Grand Highway of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park to highlight its status as a scenic route.