Foghat
Freight-train-groove-rider
Does anyone have any information on the landslide that took out the D526 road in the Defile de Maupas valley on the western ascent of the Col de la Croix de Fer?
It led to a few kilometres of the road having to be re-built on the other side of the valley, and introduced a 1km descent into the climb to cross the valley (which makes a somewhat unwelcome toughish climb in the middle of an otherwise nicely fast descent when heading in the other direction).
My first trip to the French Alps was in 1988, and the new road section was there then. However, the 1986 IGN map I purchased at the time for 20 francs showed the road in its original alignment, and I was slightly confounded until I worked out what had happened.
So, I've been wondering:
- in which year did the landslide occur?
- was it very large?
- did it kill anyone?
- was that section particularly prone, as current imagery of that section of valley on the north side looks very dodgy over a considerable length?
- how long was the D526 out of action?
- what was the old road like to ride there, as current photographs suggest it would have been pretty narrow and a rockfall hotspot?
Just curious for some reason - I find such things quite fascinating.
It led to a few kilometres of the road having to be re-built on the other side of the valley, and introduced a 1km descent into the climb to cross the valley (which makes a somewhat unwelcome toughish climb in the middle of an otherwise nicely fast descent when heading in the other direction).
My first trip to the French Alps was in 1988, and the new road section was there then. However, the 1986 IGN map I purchased at the time for 20 francs showed the road in its original alignment, and I was slightly confounded until I worked out what had happened.
So, I've been wondering:
- in which year did the landslide occur?
- was it very large?
- did it kill anyone?
- was that section particularly prone, as current imagery of that section of valley on the north side looks very dodgy over a considerable length?
- how long was the D526 out of action?
- what was the old road like to ride there, as current photographs suggest it would have been pretty narrow and a rockfall hotspot?
Just curious for some reason - I find such things quite fascinating.
