Paphos once more

Another week, another trip to Paphos.  The trip is well worth it but really, that motorway is dull!

Last week we tacked an extra hour or so onto the expected time needed to allow for a possible diversion.  During the previous week the motorway suffered from a major rockfall, closing part of it for some days.  Much of the run between Limassol and Paphos was constructed by cutting through the hillsides and, occasionally, nature reasserts itself.  The cuttings are quite dramatic in places, rising to 100 feet above the road.  Those with an interest in geology like them as they show quite clearly the striations of the rock and how it has been folded over time.

Anyway, for reasons that aren’t clear part of the rock face gave way and collapsed onto the east-bound carriageway.  Closing the motorway meant a lengthy diversion via the village of Pissouri and along the coast road.  As it turned out by the time we made our weekly trip they had managed to implement a contraflow along the west-bound side of the motorway meaning that the diversion wasn’t necessary.

In addition to saving us time it also allowed us to get a peek at the remedial works to make the motorway safe again.  The sheer scale of work to move the fallen rocks was staggering.  On the way back we managed to get a photo or two.  Excuse the quality; photography at 50mph isn’t ideal.

To give the photo some scales the two diggers are both tracked and, with their buckets, have a reach of about 50 feet.  The lower of the two is sitting on the remains of the rockfall, about 10 or 15 feet deep, on the eastbound carriageway.  The upper digger is sitting on a newly created ledge perhaps 60 feet or so above the road.  From this position it was able to dig out the top of the rockfall.

Repairing the rockfall

It is quite scary to think how much worse the situation would have been had the incident happened when the motorway was busy.

For lunch we stopped a little further along the coast; closer to Aphrodite’s Rock and apparently as a result of that hordes of tourists.  It was worth it for the views though.

East of Aphrodite's Rock

Advertisement