Rivamonte, boulders on the former 203 blown up with 150 kilos of explosives

The director of Veneto Strade: the cleaning works of the slope will continue in the next few days, if necessary, explosives will be used again to remove other boulders

RIVAMONTE. We proceed with the cleaning of the collapsed material from the slope to the Castèi, but doubts about the possibility of passing the cycle path along the road become more pressing.

Yesterday Veneto Strade proceeded to have the first part of the Cyclopean boulders demolished with explosives on the roadway of the site of the former Sr 203 Agordina in the Tagliata di San Martino area near the Castèi bridge in the municipality of Rivamonte.

“About 150 kilos of explosive mixture for about 500 cubic meters of boulders, equal to over 1000 tons, were used,” explains the company that manages the road. An intervention made necessary as a result of the landslide that broke off from the Còl Pizzón in the night between 16 and 17 February last, which had invaded the carriageway of the old route of the 203, closed since the mid-nineties. After the first part of the material was cleared, large boulders were blown up yesterday.

«In the next few days», explains Silvano Vernizzi, director of Veneto Strade, «the cleaning works of the slope will continue and, if necessary, explosives will be used again to remove other boulders. All this is aimed at clearing the road in order to allow the passage of traffic when we begin the safety works of the Castèi tunnel. When? Today we cannot define the times. What is certain is that, when we start them, we will move traffic to the old route, guaranteeing monitoring of the landslide 24 hours a day in order to stop the cars if the need arises ».

If this type of operation is considered possible, there are many doubts on the future passage to the Castèi of the Bribano-Cencenighe cycle path for which the assignment for the definitive-executive design has recently been assigned.

«As far as the cycle path is concerned», Vernizzi says, «it will be necessary to carry out a very thorough assessment with the Park Authority as well. According to our geologists, however, there is a residual landslide hazard in that area. It is not for nothing that we will set up a 24-hour security guard ».

If there is no possibility of eliminating these risks, a different solution will have to be found for the cycle path.