A tip that for decades has punctuated the daily lives of thousands of users of the A 31. Planted in Atton, it visually marked the equidistance from Metz to Nancy. Since 2014 and the closure of the old coal-fired power station, it no longer carried any ash from Blénod to the Halembois slag heap. Doomed to disappear from the landscape, like the power station, the conveyor takes its bow.
Not an easy task if we are to believe the linchpins of EDF, which, for several months already, have been working to set the removal of this giant mechanic planted above the four traffic lanes to music.
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No question of dropping the slightest bolt. So a multi-act battle plan was drawn up. The first was discreetly orchestrated in the fields on either side of the highway. There remain two problematic kilometers overlooking the Moselle and the motorway.
“The teams are focused on the maneuver and concentrate on their work,” explains the EDF spokesperson. A few months ago, on the eve of the big vacation departures, the highway cut was announced. This was postponed for several months. Then a few extra hours, this Saturday evening.
It was finally, around 9 p.m., that the temporary blocks closed the access ramps to the highway between Lesménils and Belleville. Earlier, the rest areas were also emptied of their cars and trucks.
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The flow was directed towards Pont-à-Mousson, Blénod and Dieulouard. “This will pose problems for foreign drivers who will discover the deviation, while from 10 pm, most of them are banned from driving. We will find them on the side of the roads between Blénod and Dieulouard ”, forecast, a traffic policeman busy arranging the detours.
Above the A 31, under lighting powered by a generator, the conveyor slowly disappears from the landscape. A second cut is announced the night of October 28 to 29, then on 30 and 31 to remove the batteries from the conveyor. Each time, the A 31 will be closed. Including, the eve of All Saints. Not sure that the schedule is the most opportune.
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