The pass could be closed for about four months due to the works.
PORTOVIEJO
About $ 930,000 were transferred by the Ministry of Economy and Finance last Tuesday afternoon to the accounts of the Municipality of Pichincha to cover part (70%) of the amount that will be used for the rehabilitation of the bridge that connects that Manabi town with the canton El Empalme, from Guayas.
Domingo López, mayor of Pichincha, pointed out that the work has a cost of close to $ 1.5 million and that the remaining 30% will be assumed by the Provincial Council of Manabí ($ 400,000) and this Municipality ($ 156,000), according to the framework agreement signed last year by all these entities.
Currently, the bridge has some holes and on some occasions plastic jersey walls have even been installed as signage so that users do not fall into holes that are constantly potholed, in some cases by the same local Municipality.
After the fall of the Quimís bridge, on the Montecristi-Jipijapa road, it is feared that the structure on the Daule river, which runs through this city, will also collapse.
The request to rehabilitate the bridge over the Daule river, built 75 years ago, has been in place for two years, said López, who is aware that in his intervention the passage would be momentarily closed for about four months, which is the time projected for execution.
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The formation of a technical commission was planned to establish the pre-contractual and contractual parameters that will be taken into account for the call for bids for the work, which will last between 45 and 60 days. However, López argued that if the MTOP considers it, an emergency could be declared for the execution of the work, which would advance the deadlines taking into account that with the normal bidding process, the start of the work would take place in the middle of the winter season. .
The bridge is part of the state network of the Manta-Quevedo road, therefore it is one of the fixed points of entry to Manabí for residents of El Empalme, and several towns in the province of Los Ríos and others in the central Sierra. Given this, a contingency plan is also prepared to have an alternative route while the work is being carried out.
“We are going to generate a contingency plan, once the bridge is closed because part of its structure is practically destroyed, it is going to be demolished, for that we need to close the bridge, and look for alternative routes,” said López.
On the Manabí side is the Las Damas-Puerto Conguillo road, which passes through the Daule-Peripa dam. The authority said that they will have a meeting with the mayor of El Empalme to enable the other side of the El Rosario parish, and also the help of the Guayas Prefecture to enable access in rural populations of that province.
An option of river mobilization through canoes for pedestrians is also enlisted, although Mayor López said that he seeks help so that by the time the new bridge over the Daule River is built, a barge is available and thus transfer the users.
In the new structure, the railings and the pedestrian path, which are made of concrete with metallic material, will also be changed, which will alleviate its weight. (I)
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