The repair work on the section of highway 1 (A1) that collapsed after the bursting of a dike on the Mondego River, in Coimbra, “will last a few weeks” and is taking place “continuously”, involving 70 people, Brisa said this Friday, February 13th.
“In the last two days, more than eight thousand and nine hundred tons of stone material were deposited in the infrastructure (rockfill) in a North-South direction, in order to stabilize the soils under the transition slab. The work continues to occur continuously, involving more than 70 people. These works, predictably, will last a few weeks”, revealed the concessionaire, in a statement.
Traffic is interrupted near the Coimbra Sul junction, between kilometers 198 and 189, where road traffic has been closed in both directions since shortly after 6pm on Wednesday, following the rupture of a dike on the right bank of the Mondego River.
According to the company, work is now taking place on the section that collapsed on Wednesday aim to “guarantee the stabilization of the embankment next to the northern abutment of Mondego viaduct C”on the highway that connects Lisbon and Porto, to “stop erosion and prevent further damage to both lanes”.
The works at this stage are being supported by 33 trucks transporting rock material, a crane truck, a machine carrier vehicle, two rotary excavators, a bulldozer and two skid steers, and the work is being monitored by technical teams from the National Civil Engineering Laboratory (LNEC) and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, adds the company.
In addition to the Ministry and LNEC, Brisa is also working “in close coordination” with the Mobility and Transport Institute, GNR, National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) and Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), the note reads.
Brisa reiterates that the collapse was caused by the bursting of the Mondego dike and “subsequent excavation of the landfill soil, due to the exceptional water flow in the river”.
Alternative routes for A1 users remain the A8/A17/A25 corridor or Complementary Itinerary 2 (IC2).
On Thursday, also in a statement, Brisa indicated that it was not yet possible to estimate the deadline for completing the repair works.
At the time, the company said that the work to stabilize the embankment near the northern junction of Mondego viaduct C will take place in two phases, the first focused in the North-South direction and the second focused in the South-North direction.
“The priority currently involves implementing measures that prevent the damage from worsening on both lanes”indicated the company.
In a second phase, work will focus on stabilizing the soil “under the transition slab, in the South-North direction, in order to restore the platform’s conditions”.
In the early hours of Thursday, during a visit to the place where the collapse occurred, the Minister of Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, had already admitted that it would take “several weeks” to repair the section of the A1.
Sixteen people died in Portugal following the passage of depressions Kristin, Leonardo and Marta, which also caused many hundreds of injuries and displacement.
The total or partial destruction of homes, businesses and equipment, the fall of trees and structures, the closure of roads, schools and transport services, and the cut of energy, water and communications, floods and floods are the main material consequences of the storm.
The Centro, Lisbon and Vale do Tejo and Alentejo regions are the most affected.
The Government extended the calamity situation until the 15th for 68 municipalities and announced support measures of up to R$2.5 billion.
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