Since Tuesday, November 19, the Pas-de-Peyrol road, the highest road pass in the Massif-Central, has been closed. Located at 1588 m in Cantal, the road had become too dangerous with the arrival of cold, frost and snow. It will reopen between the end of April and the beginning of May.
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For well-bundled Charente tourists passing through Cantal, the camper van ride to Puy Mary stops at the foot of the Pas-de-Peyrol pass on Wednesday November 20. The road has been closed to traffic since the day before. “The pass is closed. It snowed last night, I think. It surprised us, we’re going to turn around.” A tourist adds: “It makes sense, safety is paramount!” »
A few hundred meters higher, the conditions have indeed deteriorated significantly. “There is 0°C at 1,400 meters with a thin film of snow which makes the road very slippery. We can barely stand up.” explains Didier Roux, director of road maintenance and operation at the Cantal departmental council. Traffic conditions too dangerous to keep this departmental road open any longer. “If we are at the big bend, the road is wet but not frozen. If you go 500 meters further, it becomes completely icy. People don't realize the state of the road and the safety problems that may exist behind it. indicates Séverine Lagarrigue, operations and road laboratory mission manager at the departmental council.
The first massif on the Atlantic coast, the climate here is of a severity well known to Cantal residents, according to Didier Roux : “People understand. You just have to go up to realize that it is complicated to cross the pass. It's not just snow and ice, there's also fog. When you can't see the end of the hood, it's still complicated to get around. There are quite significant precipices. We prefer to ensure safety rather than endanger users. » Once closed, the road will not reopen until May, after several weeks of work to clear the roadway of snow accumulation, which can reach 6 meters on the north slope.
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