Lagarto Bridge Pothole
Three Years Without Repair
The pothole on the bridge over the Lagarto
river, the bridge that was the scene of a
tragic traffic accident that claimed to
lives, was listed as one of the most
dangerous by the Teletica's television
program '7 Días". The question now being
asked is, who was responsible to repair the
bridge? The answer is not that clear.
The road in Costa Rica are the
responsibility of the Ministerio de Obras
Públicas y Transportes (MOPT). In some
cases, that responsibility has been
delegated to local municipalities.
The Lagarto bridge is part of the Route 1,
also known as the Interamericana Norte,
which is a state road and under the
jurisdiction of the MOPT.
So, why did the pothole go unrepaired for
almost three years, as 7 Días and frequent
users of the highway know well?
For the time being, no one at the MOPT,
including minister Marco Vargas, is taking
responsibility.
The official line days after the fatal
accident is that it has yet to be determined
if the pothole played a role in the
accident.
Witnesses say that a passenger vehicle
driven by a tourist swerved the pothole,
causing the truck following to hit it and
then cross the median on the bridge, swiping
the side of a tanker truck filled with
26.000 litres of diesel fuel that caught
fire.
The state of the bridges around the country
have been a source of controversy, political
debate and shame around the world. Only
several months ago one of the best MOPT
ministers resigned after the Turrucares
bridge failed under the weight of a bus,
falling into the river below and responsible
for five deaths.
The famous or infamous "platina" bridge on
the autopista General Cañas in San José is
the cause of major daily traffic congestion
and the cause of many accidents since the
several attempts by the MOPT to repair the
bridge failed.
The bridge is part of a road that sees some
70.000 vehicles daily, has a gaping 10 cm
hole across the San José - Alajuela lanes
and accoring to MOPT officials it is still
months away before another repair attempt
will be made.
These just a couple of examples of a serious
problems that smartly none of the candidates
in Sundays presidential elections touched
on.
For now, the questions continue to be asked.
Few, if any, answers are forthcoming.
The MOPT has promised a full report on the
Lagarto accident by next week. But, no one
seems to be moving to fix the bridges that
every day are another accident to happen . |
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