Somiedo, challenges of works of very complicated access

iMuntanya has carried out a major stabilisation work in the Somiedo Natural Park, in Asturias. The passage of the storm “Bella” last December caused a large landslide, phenomenon known in local parlance as “argayo”, which forced the closure of the road from Pola to Somiedo causing numerous communication problems in a part of the valley.

The stabilisation works in this location have not been without challenges. The verticality of the slope and its great height make it a very difficult place to access. For this reason, much of the equipment and materials were transported by helicopter to the point from which they were mobilised, at more than 159 metres above the road.

Before starting the stabilisation work with mesh and barriers, a drone survey was carried out jointly with the company Raymar, responsible for the design of the solution, to analyse the state of the slope after the landslide. Both to minimise the stabilisation work and to protect the workers in the work area, it was considered necessary to remove the blocks at risk of falling.

We used pneumatic sacks, a solution that allows us to remove large blocks of stone and involves both less effort for the operator and less direct exposure to danger.

In the works carried out, rocks of huge dimensions have had to be held with the help of high elastic limit steel nets provided with anchors.

At the bottom of the slope, dynamic rockfall barriers have been installed, such as the Geobrugg barriers in the image, 6 metres high and up to 2000kJ. Punctual funnels have also been placed in the lower part of the slope to intercept blocks that have fallen from the slope or blocks that may have been stayed halfway down after the initial “argayo”. The work has been completed with the construction, by the local company Posada, of a breakwater at the base.