Dylan Wagemans
THE Junta of Andalucia has started blasting the A-397 road between Ronda and San Pedro that got damaged during the excessive rainfall of the last months.
Unstable rocks are mechanically removed with the blasts, preventing landslides in the future.
A containment mesh will also be applied on the steepest parts to protect the road from rock falls.
The works are extremely complex, since the drilling and placement has to be carried out manually on the steep slopes.
More than 20 workers are repairing the road, seven days a week, in order to repair the damaged road as fast as possible.
The A-397 road has been closed since March 8, when excessive rains caused rocks to slide onto the road, destroying everything in its path.
An estimated 9,000 vehicles used to take the road daily, with its users now using alternative routes that increase their travel times by over an hour.
Although the estimated duration of the project is six months, government sources have said that work is being done to reopen at least one lane in four and a half months, in order to partially restore the connection as soon as possible.
The Junta of Andalucia allocated €3.5 million to repair the road.
