Rampe De Laffrey

The rampe de Laffrey (sometimes called the descente de Laffrey or the côte de Laffrey) is a section of France's Route nationale 85, itself part of the route Napoléon. It connects the communes of Laffrey and Vizille in the department of Isère, about 15 kilometers southeast of Grenoble.

This steep and mostly relatively straight section of road ends in a sharp turn, and it is known for the high number of fatal accidents that have occurred in this final curve. Four of them, in 1946, 1973, 1975, and 2007, involved buses of pilgrims returning from Notre Dame de la Salette, and are among the deadliest in French history.

Design of the ramp

The slope begins in the center of the village of Laffrey at a height of 910 meters, right on the edge of the Matheysine plateau. It descends over 600 metres along the mountainside, passing through the territories of Saint-Pierre-de-Mésage and Notre-Dame-de-Mésage. It then veers sharply to the right at the bridge over the Romanche, at a height of 300 meters. The road is only slightly sinuous, but at its beginning contains many broad turns while remaining relatively stable near its end. Its steep slope is its most notable feature, averaging 12% along its lower portion and 16 to 18% in some places; it finishes with a 110° turn before the bridge on the Romanche it."Laffrey, une mauvaise pente"
, ''Libération'', 8 August 2007 Because of its unusual design, Berliet used it until 1970 for testing its trucks. It was also used for motorcycle races beginning in 1960, and at one time was considered a possibility for an Alpine stage of the Tour de France.

Accidents

Many accidents have taken place along this stretch of road; at least 150 deaths have been recorded at the site between 1946 and 2007, primarily of pilgrims returning from Our Lady of La Salette. It is the deadliest roadway section anywhere in France.

*In 1946, a bus transporting pilgrims from Our Lady of La Salette crashed into a ravine, killing 18; today a memorial to the dead stands along the roadside near Saint-Pierre-de-Mésage.
*In 1956, a Dutch bus suffered the same fate at the same place; seven were killed.
*In 1968, a truck flew off the road, killing its two occupants.
*In 1970, another bus transporting pilgrims flew over several walls before coming to a stop; five passengers, from Nord, were killed. The cause of this accident was later determined to be excessive speed.
*Another bus full of pilgrims, returning again from Our Lady of La Salette, crashed near the base of the road in 1973; 43 Belgians were killed.
*In 1974, a truck without brakes hit a car, killing four.
*Another bus returning from Our Lady of La Salette crashed near the base of the road in 1975, in the same location as the previous bus; 29 were killed.
*In 2007, yet another bus full of pilgrims, this time from Poland, crashed on the road, killing 26.

1946 French bus accident

The 1946 accident was the first in a string of fatal accidents along this stretch of road, which has been claimed as one of the deadliest in France. 18 people were killed when a bus lost the use of its brakes, flying off the road and into a ravine along the Romanches from Beaujolais on a return journey from Our Lady of La Salette, where they had been celebrating the Marian Year. A memorial to the dead was later erected near the town of Saint-Pierre-de-Mésage, close to the accident site.

1973 Belgian bus accident

The 18 July 1973 accident remains, , the worst ever to have occurred along that stretch of roadway. A bus was carrying Belgian pilgrims from Braine-le-Comte returning from a visit to the shrine of Our Lady of La Salette; it missed a curve at the base of the road, near its intersection with the bridge over the Romanche