Itravers-Vercorin" road closure

Following the bad weather in December 2023, the Itravers-Vercorin road will be closed for an extended period.

The Mobility Service of the Canton of Valais informs that major landslides, mudslides and subsidence have occurred on the road between Itravers and Vercorin following the bad weather of December 2023.
As a result, the road will remain closed to all traffic for a long period.

Information from the Chalais Info of March 2024:

This situation is the consequence of multiple spontaneous landslides that developed in the slope upstream of the RC (T1 to T5) and which generated mudflows between 11 and 13 December 2023. There are landslide niches downstream of the RC at T1, T2 and T4/T5. Some of the events occurred in areas where there is evidence of old landslides. The entire slope is indicated as a landslide on the geological map. Drainage was carried out in the Forêt du Ban in the 2000s. Drone surveys of the niches were carried out on 14 and 19.12.2023. Niches T2 and T3 have changed significantly. The slope between niches T2 and T3 has slipped and new niches have formed up the slope. Tension cracks have also appeared behind a building.

Aware that many of you are concerned about the situation and the consequences of the bad weather in December 2023 on cantonal road no. 626 between Itravers and Vercorin, we are sending you the latest information from the cantonal mobility service of the Department of Mobility, Territory and Environment.

A meeting was held on January 30 with the participation of the mobility service, the natural hazards service, the municipality of Chalais and the firms Géoval Ingénieurs-Géologues SA and Nivalp SA.

At this meeting, the various offices were asked to draw up as soon as possible a preliminary project for repairing the section of road between La Rèche and Vercorin s/Chalais, together with a cost estimate. This preliminary project requires a number of investigations, depending in particular on weather conditions.

It is not envisaged that this section of road will be opened to traffic in the short term; the preliminary rehabilitation project and the accompanying cost estimate will dictate the timetable.

The section of road between Itravers and la Rèche s/ Grône requires some mining work and nailing of separate blocks, which will shortly be undertaken by the Mobility Department; it will be opened to traffic in April at the latest, subject to favourable weather conditions. As a result, access to the Val de Réchy via Itravers will be possible from that date.