The mayor of Maldonado Enrique Antía confirmed that the Bridge 2 of La Barra It will be opened in mid-December after arduous repair work after it collapsed before the previous season; while he announced that the new bridge over Warrior Pass It will be ready in 2024, to improve circulation in one of the most important spas in Uruguay.
Last December, the completion of the repairs on Bridge 2 de la Barra was in the news, after its collapse caused alarm among the authorities of Maldonado given the incipient summer season and the difficulties that not having that passage for transit would bring. However, these first fixes were palliative, intended to prevent the collapse from continuing and allow the bridge to be usable for a short period of time.
For this reason, 2023 was destined to definitively repair the iconic bridge in Punta del Este.
“The bridge was saved”
At the beginning of a new summer season, Antía highlighted that thanks to the actions of the Municipality “the bridge was saved”; and he said he was happy for having been able to rescue a emblematic work for the department.
When the works are completed, in mid-December, the structure will have a firm base on the rocks of the stream bed, with concrete pillars which will give a lifetime guarantee, given that they are not positioned on previously eroded ground.
The cost of last year’s “crutches”—preliminary repair work that consisted of wooden pillars to prop up the collapsing structure—was almost 3 million dollars; while the definitive works that were carried out throughout 2023 will cost, in total, about 4 million dollars.
The mayor also stressed that ecological damage was avoided of dimensions – one of the possible scenarios in case the bridge had fallen -, while at the same time managing to maintain the image of the two unique undulating bridges.
The bridge over Paso del Guerrero will be complementary
On the other hand, Antía was emphatic in pointing out that through Bridge 2, as soon as it is enabled, no more heavy load will pass, a measure accompanied by strict controls with cameras and sanctions in the form of fines for those who do not comply with the regulations. In that sense, he stated that “we are going to be inflexible with anyone who does not take care of Maldonado’s assets.”
Given this, the Municipality also launched during the year the initiative to build a bridge over Warrior Passintended for slow traffic. According to the communal chief, the executive project is ready, as is the financing, so it is expected that the new structure will be in operation during the 2024.
Source: Ambito
