In Roya, the closure of the Tende tunnel at the heart of concerns

The closure of the Tende tunnel, which connects the Roya valley to neighbouring Italy, since the deadly floods of 2020, is at the heart of the concerns of elected officials in the region, on the eve of a visit by the head of the Emmanuel Macron State.

"A subject that I want to discuss with President Macron is that the Roya valley will be affected in a lasting way due to the closure of the Tende tunnel," Sébastian Olharan, mayor, said (LR ) of Breil-sur-Roya.

In October 2020, floods of rare violence had devastated several regions in the hinterland of Nice and Menton, leaving ten dead and eight missing on the French side, especially in the Roya valley where Mr. Macron will go on Monday. .

Since this disaster, the Tende tunnel, which connects this French city to Limone, on the Italian side, is still closed, and will not be able to reopen until 2023 at the earliest, according to the authorities.

"Much of the activity in the valley is therefore affected," said Olharan. “We must not only help businesses that have been flooded or damaged, but also all those affected by the consequences of floods, such as hotels in Castérino”, a hamlet still largely cut off from the world.

The mayor of Tende, where the president will visit on Monday, also lamented that communication with Italy via this tunnel is still cut. "We are still in suffering and pain, we must continue to improve things, the roads are not finished, the train is not running enough ...", regrets Jean-Pierre Vassalo.

The "50 laces" road which linked France and Italy being accessible only in summer, the train is therefore now the only communication axis between these French and Italian regions in all seasons.