A team from the Regional Civil Engineering Laboratory (LREC) travelled to Madeira’s north coast on Monday, the 24th of August, to inspect the site of the rockfall near the Ladeira da Vinha tunnel.
The incident partially obstructed the expressway towards São Vicente. The team is continuing the work of identifying and assessing potential risk points in the area.
Rock-scaling specialists from the Regional Directorate for Roads had already examined the condition of the escarpment. Following their assessment, it was determined that the affected section of road could safely reopen to traffic by the end of the day on which the rockfall occurred.
However, the Regional Secretariat for Equipment and Infrastructure, through LREC, immediately established a new monitoring plan.
During the first phase, specialists will identify additional risk points and document the principal geological weaknesses in the escarpment overlooking the VR2, particularly around the path taken by the fallen material.
A later phase will involve collecting data and producing a three-dimensional model of the escarpment. This will allow specialists to analyse the possible trajectories of any further rockfalls originating from the identified critical points.
According to a statement, the work will focus on locating cracks, fractures, unstable blocks and other weaknesses in the slope, as well as areas considered more likely to generate further rockfalls.
The precise locations of these critical points will be recorded using geolocation technology. The resulting coordinates will be used to create the 3D model and simulate the possible trajectories of falling rocks and other material.
This will allow dangerous blocks to be identified in advance, along with the areas that could be affected by future rockfalls or landslides.
The Regional Secretariat stressed that this is not an isolated intervention, but a continuation of the work undertaken by the Regional Government in recent years to reduce the risk of such incidents and protect infrastructure throughout Madeira.
Among the major projects already completed are interventions on the João Abel de Freitas road and its connection to the expressway at Pestana Júnior; the Estreito da Calheta–Jardim do Mar section; the Cruzinha slope on Regional Road 103 in Faial; the slope near Casas Próximas on Regional Road 110 in Porto da Cruz; and the Colmeal slope on Regional Road 107 in Curral das Freiras.
Together, these projects represented an investment of approximately €52 million and directly benefited an estimated population of more than 110,000 people.
Work is also under way to prevent and reduce the risk of rockfalls along Regional Road 103 in Cabouco, in the parish of São Roque do Faial, municipality of Santana.
LREC is also permanently monitoring a slope at Sítio da Seara Velha in Curral das Freiras following a rockfall in March. The monitoring system is intended to detect movement within the rock mass and assess the continuing stability of the escarpment.
At the end of July, a public tender was launched for work to stabilise four slopes beside regional roads at Meia Légua, Lombo das Faias, Longueira and Serrado. The contract has a base value of approximately €6.3 million.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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