The Belgians and the Spanish, in my experience, often favour taking a road away to mend it.
On my way to Hell, it was near dusk, and I cycled past a sign, in Norwegian, in the middle of the road.
As I'm riding along I come to a bit where they seem to have removed the top layer of tarmac for about 3-4m. I carefully step down, ride across, and lift by bike up.
A few hundred meters further on. Same again. This happens 3 more times.
Then after a few hundred meters I find they've taken the next layer as well, so it's a good 150-200mm missing. Fair enough, I get off, carry the bike down, across and back up. Get back on. Again, 2 more times, this happens.
Then a few hundred meters further on, i find they've removed even more, quite a lot more, several tons more. Oh, and parked a Cat in the hole...
So, turns out the sign I went past meant "road closed". The diversion to go round it was 88km... and involves a 700+m ascent...
I climbed over the armco, down the embankment through the tracks the cat had made, and up the ramp they had made so the cat could get into the hole. Said hello (In my finest English accent), to the very confused builders, and got back on my bike. Several hundred meters further on, I found the same thing, but without the cat in it. After my little climbing adventure, I slowly made my way between the tarmacing vehicles, saying hello to the workmen (again playing the confused lost tourist), before getting into clear road. Repeat the several sections of 150mm deep, then just the top layer, then eventually getting beyond the road works, and onto clear road...
Was an interesting experience. I bivvi'd down for the night just beyond the works, thinking that there was a gas station in 4km, and I could get up and go there for breakfast. It was -4°C that night, and my 2°C sleeping bag wasn't quite upto it. Amazing view, full on million star job, but cold. Very cold. When the sun rose I rode up an empty road (turns out noone was coming down here cos of the road works), for 40km to the nearest gas station, as the one 4km away was closed down. 40km sub zero fasted rides are... interesting.
Amazing scenery tho...
J
PS This is the diversion for those curious:
https://goo.gl/maps/wHnPD3kQjrMUWFWa7