Carnival is one of the holidays that has traditionally attracted more tourists to the country, especially to beach destinations on the coast, Cuenca and Guaranda.
With more relaxed measures in the face of the drop in COVID-19 infections, the tourism sector and the Government hope that it will be one of the sectors that has recorded the best results since the pandemic.
The reduction of VAT to 8% is one of the measures that were activated in order to boost the movement of travellers. However, winter poses a threat to displacement in some parts of the country.
Until Thursday morning, some roads in the country had partial closures due to landslides, while others registered subsidence in some sections, which were expected to be overcome on the eve of the displacements.
The Ministry of Transport and Public Works and some prefectures have carried out patchwork and repair work on some roads this week for this holiday.
This is the panorama of several main arteries of the destinations that are usually in demand on these holidays.
Guayas-Santa Elena
The main road that connects Guayaquil with Playas and the resorts of the Santa Elena peninsula has not registered obstructions due to winter. However, in recent weekends the return has become complicated in several sections. Since this year, a new toll has been operating at the height of Olmedo, which implies the payment of two additional dollars (to enter and leave the Peninsula). To this is added the value that must be paid at the Chongón toll.
The contingency plan for the province of Guayas is made up of 11,943 uniformed personnel from security institutions, 2,783 resources (motorcycles, cars, ambulances, bicycles, watercraft, helicopters, rescue teams), 1,849 video surveillance cameras and 25 commissioners.
It is estimated that around 100,000 vehicles will be moving on the roads of the province of Guayas.
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On the E20 Esmeraldas-Quinindé highway, 95.8 km long, drivers must take precautions due to subsidence and landslides in various sections and due to reconstruction work carried out by the Ministry of Transport.
At the height of the El Vergel sector, work is being carried out on the road where there was a subsidence due to the rains. On the E15 Esmeraldas-Muisne-San José de Chamanga road (Ruta del Spondylus), 196.5 km long, there are slight potholes due to damage to the asphalt. On the E15 Esmeraldas-Rioverde-San Lorenzo north road, 148.8 km long, no major news has been reported.
It is recommended to travel during the day, since in some places of this road network there are no warning signs and with the rains visibility would be difficult for carriers. Jorge Benítez, president of the Esmeraldas Chamber of Tourism, hopes that the station will not affect the Alóag-Santo Domingo roads.
Gold
Tourists who take the Machala-Guayaquil road will encounter sections that present several obstacles such as potholes and works in progress from Río Siete to Naranjal, for this reason users must take precautions when driving.
The Pasaje-Cuenca road that connects El Oro with Azuay is one of the most dangerous for users due to the number of potholes and subsidence, in addition to the risk of falling rocks due to the effects of the rains.
The Santa Rosa-Arenillas-Huaquillas road, which connects to the border with Peru, is in good condition.
Meanwhile, the Arenillas-Puyango road that connects El Oro with Loja presents a scour on the side of the road at kilometer 573. The other road that leads to El Oro with Loja in the Balsas-Río Pindo section registers several potholes and landslides.
The Cerro Azul-Vega Rivera road that connects the cantons of the upper part of El Oro with Pasaje also registered two collapses.
On the Portovelo-Zaruma road, there is also an affectation of a lane at the entrance to the Zaruma canton and traffic is complicated.
The Saracay-Piñas stretch also has a number of potholes. Drivers have reported several traffic accidents at night due to the dense fog that makes visibility on this road impossible.
Manabi
The road condition of the northern area of Manabí does not report major news. The El Carmen-Flavio Alfaro-Chone, Chone-San Vicente, Chone-Bahía de Caráquez, Tosagua-Bahía de Caráquez roads are in good condition. The Rocafuerte-Charapotó-San Clemente-Bahía de Caráquez and San Vicente-Canoa-Jama-Pedernales roads are also free to traffic.
In the southern area of Manabí, the greatest attention of the tourists who travel the Spondylus Route will be in the section of the route between the rural parish of San Lorenzo de Manta and the Pile commune of the Montecristi canton, a link area between Manta and towns of the south of this province such as Puerto Cayo, Machalilla, Puerto López, Salango, Ayampe and destination of connection with populations of the province of Santa Elena.
Carmen Reyes, president of the San Lorenzo parish council, indicated that the most worrying section is the one near the La Resbalosa community, located in front of the beach. In recent months, the state road that connects these sites has given way to the force of the sea.
The other point on that same route where tourists traveling along this route should be cautious is the sector called Los Altos de Santa Rosa, a section that connects with the Pile commune of the Montecristi canton.
Pichincha
Pichincha was declared in road emergency. The Alóag-Santo Domingo section is maintained with cleaning work, however, the Prefecture has enabled the passage from 06:00 to 18:00, after that time circulation is suspended due to the amount of rain in the sector. This to prevent users from new landslides.
Another of the roads that suffered the force of winter is the E35, in the Sangolquí sector. A part of the road is disabled at Selvalegre. Given the overflow of the San Nicolás, Santa Clara and Sambache rivers, a sinkhole was generated. Authorities make detours in the area so as not to suspend traffic.
The Calacalí-Río Blanco road in the northwest of Pichincha has been open since Monday, February 21, however, the rains continue and there are several gradual closures due to landslides. The last suspension occurred at the height of Nanegalito, on Wednesday, February 23, but in a few hours it was solved.
The Mindo area also had two rivers overflow last weekend. Given this, the Prefecture came with heavy machinery and assured that the situation remains under control.
Tungurahua
To get to celebrate the 71st edition of the Fruit and Flower Festival (FFF) in Ambato or the carnival holiday in cantons such as Baños de Agua Santa or Pelileo, the roads in Tungurahua are in good condition, reported David Garcés , provincial director of the Ministry of Transport and Public Works.
In the La Hamaca sector, in the Pelileo-Baños section, the road is not closed. About three months ago, part of the roadway left and the ditch even collapsed, but filler work was done with rockfill to leave it in good condition and it is enabled.
The Baños-Puyo highway is enabled, although in the La Merced sector it is hoped to carry out works for the improvement at the height of the San Jorge tunnel, where there is a slippage of the lower slope that does not compromise the road.
If you are going to drive along the Ambato-Guaranda road, you must take into account that it is an artery that needs patching in different sections, so it is recommended to drive with caution.
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In the province of Loja, all exit and entry routes to the provincial capital are enabled, according to the ECU911 report.
The roads to the coast, to the east, the mountains and the nearby valleys will be controlled by National Police personnel and traffic control agents from the municipality of Loja, taking into account that the busiest will be those leading to the coast and the valleys. Orientals.
Azuay
The Azuay roads that connect with neighboring provinces such as El Oro, Guayas, Loja or Morona Santiago are enabled. Even so, from the Ministry of Transport and Public Works drivers are asked to be careful because there are “critical” points and geological faults.
One of the busiest routes during holidays is the Cuenca-Molleturo-El Empalme that connects Azuay and Guayas. By order of the MTOP, circulation hours are from 05:00 to 17:00, while for the rest of the day driving with caution is requested when crossing kilometer 49 due to the instability of a slope. After the holiday and for 40 days, this road will be closed, leaving Cuenca-Zhud-Cochancay-El Triunfo as the only option.
For those who wish to go or come from El Oro, the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road is enabled. The warning here is to drive at a moderate speed while driving through the Santa Isabel canton due to the presence of unevenness in the road and the geological faults that cross this corridor.
For those who wish to go to the Amazon, the Paute-Guarumales-Méndez route is available, enabled up to kilometer 99, Jurupis ravine sector, where a bridge is being built and is expected to be ready next March. Meanwhile, the Gualaceo-Plan de Milagro is also available, but driving with caution is requested, because around 10 percent of the road does not have pavement.
The only one that for now has no news is the Sígsig-Chigüinda-Gualaquiza road. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
