Indefinite road closure due to concerns about quarry face
AN UNSTABLE quarry face has led to an indefinite road closure at Rue de L’Epine in the Vale.
The L’Epine quarry is owned and operated by Guernsey Water. At a recent routine inspection of the site, the States-owned utility noticed there had been a rock fall. Further investigations revealed the area was unstable.
Guernsey Water capital delivery manager Carl Falla said the instability at the quarry face posed a risk to the stability of the adjacent road.
‘The quarry face in question borders Rue de L’Epine, which could be undermined should a further fall take place,’ he said.
‘Small areas of instability are rare. We’re now in the first stage of trying to understand what has happened. There are a lot of uncertainties at the moment.’
A specialist site inspection team from the UK has been carrying out surveys on the quarry this week while the road has been closed.
The initial results of these tests should allow the road to re-open in the next few days, but only to pedestrians and cyclists. There is no indication yet about when the road will be secure enough for cars to resume using it.
‘We will continue to monitor the quarry face and investigate next steps and a potential resolution.’ said Mr Falla.
The L’Epine quarry is used as a reservoir by Guernsey Water. It is among more than 100 facilities overseen by the utility, ranging from pumping stations to water treatment works and sea outfalls.
