Queues on Catalan roads and incidents due to wind and snow in the bridge return operation | News from Catalonia

The return operation of the Purísima bridge coincided this Sunday with the episode of wind and snow that Catalonia is suffering this weekend. The significant snowfalls in the Pyrenees, which have left thicknesses of up to 40 centimeters at the highest levels and temperatures below zero, have been combined with winds of more than 100 kilometers per hour in several Catalan regions. The emergency service has received about 2,000 calls between Saturday afternoon and Sunday, and the Generalitat Firefighters have rescued seven hikers and a surfer. On the roads, there have been queues at various points on the road network, and a minor has died in a serious accident in which a truck overturned on the N-420 in Móra d’Ebre.

Despite the storm, the return operation is being carried out with significant delays, with a peak of 96 kilometers of queues on the entire road network, but smaller than in previous years. The authorities anticipated the return of 240,000 cars, of which 88% had already returned around 8:00 p.m., thanks to the fact that many travelers have anticipated the return during the morning and early afternoon, according to the Servei Català de Trànsit. Withholdings have been important, but 20% lower than those recorded during the same long weekend in 2019, the reference year for comparing data. On several roads in the Catalan Pyrenees (C-142b Pla de Beret, C-28 Refugi d’Ares/Esterri d’Àneu, N-141 Bossòst, L-501 Taüll/Pla de l’Ermita) it is mandatory to wear chains when driving. The Port de la Bonaigua on C-28 remains closed.

The C16 and C55 roads, as well as the C17, have been the ones with the most queues, due to the return of cars from the mountain areas and the municipalities of the Osona region where markets and fairs have been held. The accident in which a minor died occurred at 7:00 p.m. on the N-240 in Móra d’Ebre and forced the road to be cut in both directions. On the C-14 there have been delays from the morning until mid-afternoon, and on the AP-7 there have also been queues, in the southern section of the Hospitalet de l’Infant, due to a truck that has overturned without serious consequences, and due to a broken down truck in the Martorell area. In this same AP-7, near Maçanet de la Selva, the Mossos have arrested a driver this Sunday who was driving under the influence of alcohol and in the wrong direction.

The wind storm will abate on Sunday night, although the snow level will continue to drop, as will temperatures. The episode has left 1,291 incidents for which the emergency service has received 2,000 calls between noon on Saturday and this Sunday afternoon. In parallel, the Mossos have forced to cut the Rodalies R3 line between Centelles and Vic due to the accident of a man.