A section of the A1 collapsed on the night of Wednesday, February 11, after the dike broke in Casais, in Coimbra. Brisa highlights that the reduction occurred “around three hours after the complete closure of the A1, carried out preventively, in the Coimbra North and Coimbra South subsection – between KM 198 and KM 189 – and did not represent, at any time, any risk for users and workers”.
The concessionaire suggests that drivers use alternatives to interrupting the highway in the North-South direction near the Coimbra Sul junction, through the A8/A17/A25 corridor or the IC2.
In a statement, the concessionaire admitted that, “it is not possible, at this time, to estimate the deadline for completing the repair works”, it is committed to “minimizing inconvenience” and that “the as alternative routes, the A8/A17/A25 corridor or the IC2″.
The rupture in the infrastructure was caused by the bursting of the dike and subsequent excavation of the embankment next to the northern abutment of Mondego viaduct C, due to an exceptional flow of more than 2,100 cubic meters of water per second, the concessionaire further explains.
Brisa made it known that it has been monitoring the development of the situation since the 2nd, “with permanent inspections, and currently has more than 30 operational personnel on the ground”, and is working in coordination with the various institutions within the scope of civil protection and national and local authorities.
The A1 was preventively closed shortly after 6pm on Wednesday in mainland Portugal, in both directions, on the subsection between Coimbra North and Coimbra South, following the rupture of the dike that channels the Mondego River.
*with Lusa
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