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COSTA RICA |
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Heredia Centro Bridge Added To List of "Bad
Bridges"
The list of "bad bridges" - bridges that are
a safety risk for their poor condition due
mainly to lack of maintenance - grows with
the latest bridge added to the growing list
is that over the Pirro river, adjacent to
the Universidad Nacional UNA) in Heredia
centro. The bridge is located 150 metres
east of the Burger King, and had a 4 metre
gaping hole, which continues unrepaired.
Marco Antonio Ruiz Mora, head of Tributación
y Catastro (land and tax) for the
Municipalidad de Heredia, says the bridge is
the responsibility of the Consejo Nacional
de Vialidad (Conavi), the national highway
council, which is part of the Ministerio de
Obras Públicas y Tránsportes (MOPT).
However, that doesn't appease the area
residents and businesses, who are growing
owrried that a strong rain could cause even
more damage and possibly fatalities.
The Heredia story is being repeated all over
the country. The municipalities in which
these bridges lie are helpless for lack of
funding and jurisdiction.
The MOPT has been under heavy criticism for
the situation that resulted in the resigning
of Karla González following the October 22
collapse of the bridge over the Tárcoles
river, between Turrubares and Orotina.
The former minister, who had been in the
portfolio since the beginning of the Arias
administration in 2006, said that her
ministry has achieved much, but still needs
more due to the lack of attention to the
country's bridge several decades.
The new minister, Marco Vargas, immediately
closed a several bridges in various
communities to avoid a repeat of the
Turrubares accident. The closure of the
bridges in Grano de Oro de Turrialba and San
Jerónimo de Esparza sparked anger by
residents of those areas as the bridges are,
like the majority of the bad bridge, the
main route between communities. |
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