Three months after a 60m section of the cliff plunged onto the RD76 on the outskirts of Excideuil, in north-east Dordogne, it remains still impassable, and experts have said that it will take an estimated six months to clear the road, repair it and make it and the remaining cliff wall safe again, to the frustration of locals.
Work is set to start in June. In the meantime, residents have to use smaller, less direct, country roads to get about in their daily lives. Locals estimate that the diversion adds about 5km to every journey.
Depuis le 2 février, un quartier et ses habitants sont bloqués à #Excideuil, suite à l'effondrement d'une falaise. Les rochers sont toujours là. Et rien ne bouge. Les riverains s'impatientent. Nous faisons le point. #sinistre #Dordogne pic.twitter.com/aEtjvLeJJy
— France 3 Périgords (@F3Perigords) April 30, 2024
Officials have said that the length of time needed for the work is linked to the complexity of the work involved.
As well as clearing several dozens of tonnes of rock off the road, the cliff will have to be secured for safety reasons, amid concerns that further sections could collapse in the next few years.
Experts said that around 2,500m³ of rock will have to be cleared.
The local authority expects a bill of several hundred thousand euros to secure the rock front, evacuate debris and re-establish the roadway – to which must be added the replacement of the waste water network and the repair of the drinking water network.
Officials hope that the RD 76 will reopen to traffic at the end of 2024.
The rock fall comes after an exceptionally wet and rainy winter in parts of France, with widespread flooding.
Meanwhile, local businesses are suffering the consequences of the main road being impassable. A butcher in the village told BFM TV that sales have fallen 30 percent since the rock fall.
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