French RN22 to Pas de la Casa Reopens After Overnight Snow Closure

French authorities have reopened the RN22 access to Pas de la Casa at 2:30pm on Tuesday, following an overnight closure that began at 8pm Monday due to worsening snow, ice and poor visibility. The route between L'Hospitalet-près-l’Andorre and the Envalira tunnel roundabout had been shut for maintenance, snow clearance and removal of stranded vehicles—many lacking winter equipment—after a brief morning reopening around 10am.

The closure extended what was initially planned as a one-hour stoppage on Monday afternoon. French officials organized DIRSO convoys to retrieve trapped vehicles from Pas de la Casa, but intensifying storms prompted the full overnight shutdown. The RN320 at Col de Puymorens remains closed, with vehicles over 19 tonnes banned and a 15km/h speed limit in place between Merens and Luzenac. Ariège stays under yellow alert for snow, ice and avalanches, with expected accumulations of 5cm above 700-900m, 10cm at 1,000m and 15-25cm above 1,200m overnight, particularly in Couserans. Drivers must carry winter gear on RN22, RN20 and RN320, reduce speeds, increase following distances and avoid abrupt maneuvers.

This marks the second consecutive night of closures on the French side, following a multi-day shutdown starting Saturday afternoon. Monday's brief reopening allowed clearance work before conditions deteriorated again. Saturday incidents in Ariège included a coach crash near Luzenac blocking access and 30-40 vehicles rescued in Nalzen by local efforts.

In Andorra, black alerts persist on CG2 at Coma de Ransol due to stranding risks and CG3 toward Arcalís from avalanche control blasts by COEX. Yellow alerts cover CG2 from Port d'Envalira, CG3 from Ordino or Serrat, CG4 from Pal, and have expanded to La Massana, Encamp and Escaldes amid heavy snow of 10-30cm and winds gusting to 120km/h at peaks. Intense Monday morning snowfall caused widespread traffic jams on CG1 at Avinguda Salou, CG2 into Encamp southbound, CG3 and CG4 into La Massana. School buses faced delays, with students trapped for over 30 minutes on routes from Encamp and Canillo; one driver fractured an ankle slipping near Sant Andreu-Creu Grossa junction, requiring emergency aid. Ski school at Ordino Arcalís was cancelled, and the station stayed shut. School transport on high routes started 15 minutes early Tuesday, with families notified by text. An avalanche risk bulletin rates danger at 4 out of 5 nationwide.

Mobilitat's website crashed around 9:15am Monday from over a million queries in an hour, restored by 9:52am; updates continued via social media, WhatsApp and Telegram amid call surges from 6:30am. Protection Civil urges checking road status online, avoiding non-essential trips, prioritizing public transport or telework, and extreme caution on roads and mountains. Forecasts predict midday improvement Tuesday but renewed precipitation Wednesday from an Atlantic front.