Puerto Vallarta's New Tunnel to be Closed for Repairs Until End of Year Gerardo Gonzalez - Vallarta Opina
go to original July 11, 2013

The Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT) and the City Hall of Puerto Vallarta, agreed to keep the vehicle circulation closed on the second tunnel on Luis Donaldo Colosio Highway (El Libramiento) until the end of this year.

The closure is necessary to correct failures to the coating overlay problems caused from the rains of the past weekend and at the same time to work on the lighting and placement of exhaust equipment.

The original head of the construction project, Omega de Mexico S.A. de C.V., will return to correct the coating problems.

Vehicle circulation will resume in the old tunnel and returned to one lane in each direction while the work is being performed in the new tunnel.

The Director of Infrastructure and Services in the municipality, Oscar Delgado Chavez, explained that the decision was made on Monday, after a monitoring carried out regarding the project by the SCT. Representatives of the construction company and the City Council, who confirmed the damage caused by the concrete coating as a result of the accumulation of water and saturation of materials in the upper part of the tunnel, is causing a rupture of the shell, this as a result of the recent rains. As a result, these failures will be corrected and a comprehensive review will be established.

Chávez Delgado clarified that it only concerned the concrete coating and that the tunnel had no structural damage, so there is no risk in the area. He added that, in turn, and by instruction of the Mayor, Ramon Guerrero Martinez, the municipal government will be placing monitoring strips to be placed over cracks to detect settlement or sliding of the tunnel and to ensure the safety of all.

He pointed out that the needed repair work, which has come to light by the SCT, must be carried out in the coming months and for this reason, they agreed to permanently close the new tunnel until the end of the year "because there will be two stages of tunnel construction including the previously scheduled installation of lighting and exhaust fans, an investment of 40 million pesos."

Finally, the municipal official said that in the case of the so-called "old or first tunnel," there are no existing faults and it is safe for vehicular circulation. They will continue to monitor the situation.

He reiterated that there is no risk of collapse of the tunnel, but "we are closing the new tunnel to circulation to prevent coating pieces falling on cars in preventing potential accidents so the population can rest assured that they are being protected."

Translated and edited by Team Angels

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