The RN 116 is closed, prey to ground movements - Prefecture of the Pyrenees-Orientales

  • After the bad weather of January, the national road RN 116, in the Pyrenees-Orientales, is in the grip of important ground movements.
  • The prefecture has decided to close this main axis, which leads to the ski resorts.
  • For tourism, when the holidays begin, it is a real blow.

For those trying to reach the Catalan ski resorts, the journey has not been easy for the past few days. After the violent bad weather that hit the Pyrenees-Orientales, the RN116 is in the grip of impressive ground movements, cracks and crevices, which led the prefecture to close this central axis. We don't know when it will reopen. Not before three weeks at least, warns the prefecture, but the time seems short, given the extent of the damage.

Deviations have been implemented. But it is much longer, and it clogs up. For Toulousains and Montpellier residents, you must take the A61, the A66, then the RN20 and the RN320. For holidaymakers in the Roussillon plain, take the A61 from Narbonne, i.e. the RD 117 and RD 118 via Saint Paul de Fenouillet, Axat and Puyvalador.

The damage on the RN 116 has evolved since yesterday. The ground movement is still in progress. Expertises are continuing. Deviations by:
👉A61, A66, and RN 20
👉by D117 and D 118 for light vehicles less than 7.5 tonnes
Gar Garroxtes access only for residents and emergency services. pic.twitter.com/8mpY6mBui3

- Prefect of the Pyrénées-Orientales (@ Prefet66) February 4, 2020

"The impact is still difficult to quantify"

"These temporary deviations lengthen the journey times but allow secure access to Cerdanya and Capcir and to mountain resorts", indicate the services of the prefecture of the Pyrenees-Orientales. For its part, the region has postponed the work planned on the little yellow train that crosses the Pyrenees, to allow access to ski resorts, and coaches will make three return trips from Perpignan.

# Rn116 closed load shedding by axat. 1h45 from Mont-Louis axat by # d118 and not yet past the St Georges gorges they said that there would be only vl but there are buses and camping because it is great no matter what. pic.twitter.com/Jy9rNzMRID

- Sea and Mountain vacation rentals (@chalets_esquits) February 8, 2020

But when the winter holidays have just started, the closure of this national road is a real blow for tourism. "The impact is still difficult to quantify: the holidays are just starting, we will have to take stock afterwards," said Hervé Mencacci, the director of the Font-Romeu ski resort. Customers who have booked a stay well in advance make an effort. They will not cancel for an extra hour or two. "

"Local customers, we risk losing them"

On the other hand, continues Hervé Mencacci, those who are used to planning a ski trip at the last moment, going back and forth during the day, risk not coming. "We are losing customers in the Pyrénées-Orientales," confirms Eric Charre, director of the Porté-Puymorens resort. To come from Perpignan, [with the closure of the RN 116] it takes almost three hours. Six hours by car, six hours by ski, the calculation is quick. But for those coming from Montpellier, the journey time is about the same. "

Eric Charre encounters another problem: supplies. "For the restoration, but also for the parts that we urgently need, a shift for a ski lift for example, the deadlines are very, very long," notes the station manager. And for station employees, it's also a big hassle. "Taking accommodation during the holidays is very complicated," says Hervé Mencacci, the director of Font-Romeu. Some are forced to go around to come. We had an exemption to go through the D4, through Olette, but it's a dangerous road. One of our employees found a solution, he took a motorhome. "

"We don't have cash in advance, it can be very dangerous for us"

The closure of the RN 116 also has a severe impact on the hotel industry in the region. In Dorres, very close to the Spanish border, cancellations have followed one another in recent days. “Up to 2,000 euros this weekend, regrets Audrey, the manager of the Marty hotel. We are fortunate to have the Catalans next door, who took up a few spots on cancellations, but an entire floor of the hotel was empty. We don't have cash in advance, it can be very dangerous for us. "

"Every year, there are incidents on this road," says Hervé Mencacci, the director of the Font-Romeu station. There is, I believe, a real reflection to lead, beyond the bandage to be put in an urgent way to treat the wound. "

"We have the feeling of being neglected"

Many elected officials have stepped up to the plate. They expressed their anger on Friday during a demonstration. "Tourism is badly affected by this closure, but also the inhabitants who work on one side or the other of this axis, those who have meetings, medical examinations to pass, deplores Jean-Louis DĂ©melin, president of the community of municipalities in the Catalan Pyrenees. We ask the State to take this route into account. We demand a new road. "

# PyrénéesOrientales Friday, February 5, elected officials, professionals and residents, we were all gathered, in Mont-Louis and Villefranche de Conflent, to ask the @gouvernementFR to finally grant the necessary funding for a # RN116 worthy of the name! pic.twitter.com/krNxG7V0oA

- Calvet François (@CalvetFrancois) February 9, 2020

In a press release published on Monday, the services of Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, Minister of Transport, promise to proceed "as soon as possible to repair the protective works". "The agents of the ministry (...) are strongly mobilized to clear the road as quickly as possible and limit the duration of the closure," we read in the press release. The State estimates the amount of reparations at more than 10 million euros.

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  • Perpignan
  • Languedoc-Roussillon
  • Montpellier
  • Severe weather
  • Road