The bad weather of the last few weeks and the heavy rains that fell on the department have had a severe impact on the network of municipal roads, particularly in the North Vienne region.
“There are some of our roads that have been completely washed away, explains Cyril Cibert, mayor of Chenevelles and president of the Association of rural mayors of Vienne. And, financially, it is very hard for mayors who cannot keep up. »
“It cost us 50,000 euros for a section of about a hundred meters”
In his village, on a sloping road down to a farm, the damage is still visible. On the sides of the road, the ditch was not effective enough to regulate the rainwater. “We were forced to quickly begin repairs, explains Cyril Cibert. We could no longer access the farm. It still cost us 50,000 euros for this section of about a hundred meters,” to unblock the ditch which had not been maintained or to rebuild a larger culvert, to facilitate the flow of water towards the Ozon, the river located next to it… ” Except that, for our municipalities, every euro is counted. »
A larger pipe was built on the Chenevelles road.
© (Photo NR-CP, Corentin Maugue)
“They still spent 50,000 euros per hundred meters, explains Patrice Azile, mayor of Monthoiron. We have eighteen kilometers of municipal roads, we don’t know how we’re going to do it. »
A doubled budget for road maintenance
In the neighboring town, the damage is less impressive than in Chenevelles. However, the mayor wants to show us a small road that has subsided. In a photo he shows us, the road is flooded. “When driving slowly, you can clearly see that the car is leaning. We have to do all that again. But this 200 meter section will cost us 20,000 euros. »
The road was washed away by the latest bad weather.
© (Photo NR-CP, Corentin Maugue)
This year, his budget for road maintenance has exploded. 60,000 euros when he only spends 30,000 in a typical year. With a major problem: these weather events are likely to recur in the coming years.
“It’s almost impossible to carry out anticipatory work. We have clogged ditches which are no longer effective, continued Patrice Azile. But it costs too much to maintain them. We can only pay to repair what has been damaged.”
