The Soledad Mayor’s Officethrough the Ministry of Public Workshe asked the National Infrastructure Agency to prioritize the intervention of four infrastructures that are in an advanced state of deterioration and that put citizens at risk.
This situation is a true alert that endangers the inhabitants of the Atlántico department.
Let us remember that in that municipality a tragedy occurred last Friday that left 4 dead and 3 injured after part of the 30th Street bridge fell.
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The Secretariat prepared a technical report, which was sent to the ANI.
It must be said that the Soledad Mayor’s Office reported last Friday that it had asked the Agency to intervene on the 30th Street bridge.
Inem Bridge – Itida
One of the infrastructures that is in clear deterioration is the bridge that connects the schools. Inem and Itidaa real danger for students and other citizens.
This is its current status:
1. Records the exposure of reinforcing steel in the main beams of the pedestrian bridge, with the presence of corrosion throughout the entire element, from its beginning in the front of ITIDA and INEM. Likewise, the same pathology is evident in the mooring node of the transverse beam located in the center of the bridge span, where the reinforcing steel is also exposed.
2. Loss of concrete covering the reinforcing steel is evidentin sections of approximately 80 cm, which is recorded along the bottom of the entire slab of the pedestrian bridge, thus also leaving the steel of this element exposed, showing an advanced state of deterioration derived from corrosion.
3. Cracking of elements of the structure in general is seen, which is most severely noted at the tie points or nodes of beams and the column located in the center of the span of the main beams, where the cracks extend from this point to the middle part of the element. They are also seen on the lateral part of the pedestrian bridge slab where longitudinal cracking of the element is evident which may be caused by the same deterioration and exposure of steel that it presents, likewise, at the mooring point of the elements of transverse beam and main beam where transverse and diagonal cracks are evident that affect the structural functioning of the elements with disintegration of the coating (peeling).
4. Deterioration in the enclosure mesh in the pedestrian crossing, where loss of some metal elements due to corrosion is identified, which has given rise to large gaps in the protective mesh, which puts users at risk of falling.
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5. There is widespread deterioration in the elements that make up the bridgesuch as: columns or piles, beams, walkways, access stairs, meshes and railings.
The Ministry of Public Works recommended “preventively disable its use, especially to safeguard the population that mostly uses it (students). Additionally, it is recommended to request priority and urgent intervention to the entire bridge structure in order to address the effects it presents”.
30th Street Boulevard
In the technical inspection of the site, the Secretariat evidenced the destruction and poor condition of the boulevard separating the two roads, which has generated two illegal and unauthorized crossing points for traffic in the municipality of Soledad.
The following structural effects are evident in these:
1. The destruction of the boulevard by approximately 7 meters in each of the 2 points of impact, including the destruction and arbitrary demolition of the enclosure to prohibit the return point of vehicles and demolition of the structure of the boulevard, including the platforms. and planters that were in these.
2. Illegal turnaround points are used by all types of vehicles (motorcycles, motorcars, cars and even heavy-duty vehicles) that when used as a return route interrupt the normal flow of Calle 30, thus increasing the risk of accidents in the area, due to the dangerous maneuvers that have to be carried out to use it. said illegal crossing.
“It is recommended that these two specific points be taken into account for the repair and new construction of these sections of boulevard, to eliminate illegal crossings from one road to another and, likewise, reduce the risk of accidents. In addition, this boulevard must have “the same specifications of the existing section, with the same width and same distribution as the existing section in the sector”indicated the municipal portfolio.
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Pedestrian bridge on the Circunvalar
Another infrastructure in serious deterioration is the Circunvalar pedestrian bridge, near the Police School.
These are its effects:
1. A high state of corrosion is observed in the metal structural elements of the entire bridge.as well as the anchoring and fixing points.
2. In the elements of the pedestrian bridge the loss of layers of protection is evident (paints and anticorrosives), which causes permanent exposure of their surface to the elements (sun and water). This denotes a lack of maintenance, which with the passage of time and the absence of preventive and corrective measures, has led to the loss of the section affecting its caliber or thickness, potentially generating failures in the conditions. service of the structure.
3. There is generalized deterioration with the presence of corrosion in the elements that make up the bridge such as: columns, beams, walkway, access ramps and railings. Currently the bridge is underused due to its state of deterioration, and users prefer to cross on the road before exposing themselves using it.
For this infrastructure, the Ministry of Public Works recommended “request the competent entities to carry out the corrective activities that are considered pertinent and necessary in the case, as well as preventively disable its use until their intervention is carried out”.
30th Street Canal
The fourth infrastructure affected in the canal on 30th Street that is located in front of the Hospital Universidad del Norte and from the ITIDA school.
This was evidenced by the Secretariat: “There is a channel and ditch with a concrete cover that presents clogging and sediments that do not allow the transport of runoff water that falls on the road, likewise, this configuration (having a fixed concrete cover) prevents maintenance and “These elements are part of the road system and due to their condition they generate stagnation of runoff water, which means that free circulation in the sector is affected during rainy seasons.”.
The municipal portfolio recommended “request road operators to carry out periodic cleaning of channels and ditches that constitute the elements of the road system, in addition to repairing deteriorated structures so that runoff water can be captured, conveyed and evacuated efficiently, avoiding generate stagnation and affect vehicular circulation.”.
The worst thing about this matter is that these four infrastructures have been deteriorating for many years. It is imperative that the ANI heed the call of the Mayor’s Office to avoid a tragedy like the one that occurred on the 30th Street bridge.
