Val Calanca's road reopens after nearly two weeks of isolation

After a landslide, the Val Calanca was cut off for almost two weeks. Since 6pm on Wednesday, the stretch of road between Molina and Arvigo has been passable again, though with restrictions: single-lane traffic, daytime only between 6.30am and 8.30pm, and possible short waits due to ongoing construction work.

For nearly the entire period of isolation, authorities arranged helicopter flights to connect residents with the rest of the canton. Daniele Corecco, head of the Calanca fire brigade, says the flights were used mostly by commuters travelling between the valley, Ticino and the rest of Graubünden, as well as by people who needed to shop. Among the passengers was also Elia, the only secondary school student in the valley, flown every day to Roveredo: "Ogni giorno vado in elicottero, è bello" ("Every day I go by helicopter, it's great").

Primary school pupils who stayed in the valley had lessons split across three different sites. One student says the situation also meant getting to have lessons together with younger classmates, usually taught separately.

Calls for a permanent solution

School director Eleonora Righetti, who is also a member of the cantonal parliament for the Roveredo constituency, says the emergency made the need to act on the road even clearer — a project the cantonal parliament has already approved unanimously.

The isolation also had an economic cost for businesses in the valley. Igor, who runs the Ai Cav Calanca bed and breakfast, estimates he lost the last two weekends of August, a period of good weather and strong bookings: for a small business like his, that represents roughly a quarter to nearly a third of August's revenue.

The damage was lighter for the Arvigo quarries: owner Giovanni Polti says the business managed to keep working by finding alternative solutions, even if the overall toll remains "abbastanza pesante dal punto di vista morale" ("quite heavy from a moral point of view"). For Polti, an artificial tunnel remains the only permanent solution, including from the standpoint of economic and technical feasibility.

What remains open is what guarantees commuters, families and small businesses in the valley will have if a similar event happens again, and how quickly the canton will follow up on the cantonal parliament's unanimous vote.