Four days after the closure of the A13 motorway between Paris and Vaucresson, the possibility of a mid-week reopening is being considered.
In the middle of the school holiday period for zones A and B, the A13 will reopen “in the best case scenario in the middle of the week” announces Sophie Dupas, deputy director of the Île-de-France roads department (DIRIF), this Monday at the microphone of France Blue Paris. The highway has been closed in both directions since 11 p.m. Thursday between Paris and Vaucresson for safety reasons. A large crack was discovered in the roadway during a planned closure for works. “It runs along the end of the insertion ramp and crosses the A13 towards Saint-Cloud park, with a depth of 50 to 80 cm depending on the location,” specifies the prefecture.
After three days of uncertainty concerning the origin of the ground movement which caused the crack on the A13, the DIRIF has not yet given the reasons for such a phenomenon but its deputy director wanted to be reassuring regarding the evolution of the situation. All weekend, DIRIF teams “carried out work to seal cracks in the road to prevent water infiltration and worsen the situation,” she said. With the analyzes carried out, the experts will carry out checks on the damaged highway plot as well as on “the retaining wall which is below the highway and the hydraulic structure”. All of these measures aim to allow a reopening in the middle of the week “if safety conditions are met”.
An impossible situation for motorists
Authorities recommend avoiding the area unless necessary. Diversion routes have been put in place. So to reach Paris from Rocquencourt, it is advisable to take the A12 and the N12 towards Versailles, then towards Paris via Porte de Saint-Cloud (N118). To reach Paris from Bois d’Arcy, it is possible to take the N12 towards Versailles then towards Paris via Porte de Saint-Cloud (N118).
This Monday morning, the traffic information site Sytadin accounts for nearly 380 kilometers of traffic jams around 9 a.m. in the region. A level significantly increasing compared to the “normal” situation which foresees a peak at 310 kilometers. This motorway closure was also felt on other access routes to Paris. On the N12, the A86 and the N118, traffic is largely disrupted, it takes double the usual time to travel. The president of the Île-de-France region, Valérie Pécresse spoke this Monday morning via her account time for the situation to return to normal, as well as for the SNCF to “strengthen the public transport offer in the west”.