Exceptional emergency aid to deal with the climatic damage of last October. This Monday, November 19, 2 million euros were released by a vote during an assembly in the Department of the Loire. “We need more funds to be able to incur public expenditure and finance the work. Some have already been committed since November 4, but without additional budget we cannot continue them”explains Jérémie Lacroix, vice-president of the Department in charge of roads and mobility. The objective is to repair the entire Loire road network very quickly, to allow users to get to work without difficulty.
The Chorieux bridge, on the RD7, and the Valencize bridge on the RD1086, are among the structures most affected by the bad weather last October. “Tonnage limitations are currently in place.”
What about the Department’s budget?
“Given the climatic events and the subsidence that we suffered, it was impossible to predict. However, what we could do was to prevent it from getting worse and we therefore immediately tried to maintain rainwater drainage and clean the roads. On the other hand, perhaps we will see new damage appear, previously invisible, after the winter. And we cannot predict that precisely.
Emergency aid therefore of 2 million euros, while the total cost of the bad weather amounts to around 10 million. A request to the State was made to fill the gap. But for the Department, this exceptional aid will have consequences on ongoing projects.
“We don’t take this money out of the hat, we take it from other operations which will be delayed over time. We are redirecting our investments. We are releasing this amount now and then we will include operations in our 2025 budget.”
Thank you for joining us today. We appreciate your time to discuss the recent exceptional emergency aid granted by the Department of the Loire to deal with the climatic damage caused by the bad weather last October. To start off, could you tell us about the impact of the weather on the road network and how the Department is currently managing it?
Guest 1: Hi, yes, of course. As we can see from the article, the Chorieux and Valencize bridges were among the structures most affected by the bad weather. Currently, there are tonnage restrictions in place due to the damage caused to the road surface and structures. The Department has been working tirelessly to maintain drainage and clean roads to prevent further damage. However, as mentioned by Guest 2, we cannot predict new damage that may arise after the winterseason. How do you think the Department can best prepare for such unexpected events in the future?
Guest 2: That’s a great question. Personally, I believe that investing in more durable and resilient infrastructure can help mitigate the impact of future weather events. It won’t prevent them altogether, but it can certainly reduce the damage caused. In addition, we need to improve our forecasting capabilities so that we can better prepare for extreme weather conditions. What are your thoughts on this?
Guest 1: Absolutely, investing in more sustainable and resilient infrastructure is crucial for long-term planning. However, it’s also important to recognize that these types of extreme weather events are becoming more frequent due to climate change, which means that we may need to adjust our approach to maintenance and repair. For example, considering permanent solutions such as elevating roads or installing diverters to redirect water flow. It’s a complex issue that requires collaboration between different sectors and levels of government.
