Three people were flown to Southland Hospital and observed for about an hour after inhaling smoke from the burning bus. As a result of this incident a satellite phone and fire extinguishers were installed in the tunnel. Two tourist buses were destroyed by fire outside the tunnel in January and March 2008, though the fires were not related to the tunnel. Roof lighting was fitted and traffic lights reintroduced in 2004 to reduce capacity constraints and safety issues. Although the tunnel is large enough for a bus and a smaller vehicle to pass, meetings involving two coaches or campervans are problematic. This is alleviated by the fact that the traffic is very tidal, towards Milford Sound in the morning and toward Te Anau in the afternoon. The traffic lights operate only during the day during the peak summer season, since the avalanche risk makes it unsafe to stop and queue at the portals in winter and spring. With increasing traffic on the road, it is expected that the risk to vehicles waiting at the portal will also increase. A widening of the tunnel, to allow for true two-laning, has been discussed many times. While this would make it unnecessary to force cars to wait in the avalanche areas, the high costs make this unlikely, especially for a road which (in national-level terms) carries little traffic—even if it is of very high importance for the tourism industry. Avalanche warning systems in the area are also considered to meet typical worldwide standards. In addition, Transit New Zealand () had the realignment of the Homer east portal avalanche shed as one of the 'large activity priorities' on its planning list. The project would have cost around NZ$14–15 million and was unlikely to start before the end of that decade. In 2010 it was again reported that the tunnel may be widened. In 2020 widening was not in scope when the New Zealand Government announced $25 million in funding for tunnel safety improvements through its rejuvenation package and the works were commenced, expecting to be completed by 2023. However in 2021 it was reported that budget constraints meant that the upgrades would need to be scaled back. Other proposals have been made to bypass the Homer tunnel entirely to reduce the journey time from Queenstown, including a Milford Dart tunnel, which was declined in 2013. See also Transport in Milford Sound References External links