Rear Calanca Valley to reopen after mudslides

The rear Calanca Valley in Graubünden will be accessible again from Wednesday evening, SRF reported. The Calancastrasse road will remain subject to restrictions while restoration work continues.

From Thursday, traffic will be allowed only during the day, between 6.30am and 8.30pm. The road will be closed at night and during rainfall, Reto Knuchel of the Graubünden Civil Engineering Office told the Keystone-SDA news agency. It will also be restricted to one lane.

Traffic is expected to resume temporarily on Wednesday evening, although the exact time remains unclear. Work is continuing on a single-lane emergency bridge made of steel, which will cross the Calancasca about 120 metres south of the existing Pont Nef bridge. A temporary road on the opposite side of the valley is planned to rejoin the current cantonal road shortly after Pont Nef.

The detour is intended to bypass the entire hazardous section and could operate without restrictions at night and during rain. Construction is expected to take three to four weeks.

Several mudslides buried the Calancastrasse at three locations after severe thunderstorms on August 20. The Civil Engineering Office reopened the road as far as the Buseno turn-off the following day, but the northern part of the valley remained cut off. During the closure, some secondary-school students were flown by helicopter to school in Roveredo.