Cancun, Q.R. — Ground movement under a section of the lagoon overpass has stalled the scheduled inauguration date. The much-awaited opening of the 8-kilometer-long bridge that connects to the mainland has been delayed.
According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT), four additional piles are needed to reinforce the structure of the bridge over the Nichupté Lagoon.
Authorities became aware of the required additional reinforcement after cracks in the concrete heads that supports beams began to show. Guido Mendiburu Solís who heads the SICT (Secretaría de Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes) in Quintana Roo, said the bridge is not unstable however, “the decision was made to reform the work to guarantee safety.”
He said some piles show a certain degree of subsidence due to the cavernous limestone soil of the Nichupté lagoon, mainly in the area known as the hump at support points 213 to 223 where the bridge reaches 15 meters in height.
Mendiburu Solís explained that two piles will be built on each side of the bridge and a metal beam at three other support points will be added to guarantee stability. They learned of the issue when reviewing their work using a video camera that showed the cracks in some of the support beams.
He explained that the soil conditions forced a redesign of the initial structure to increase the number of piles and deepen the foundation to from 35 meters to 42 meters.
He said the bridge has been built on a lagoon bed with high karstity which is why some structural areas have shown mobility. He said these areas will be addressed with reinforcement before the bridge is put into operation.
“It is not structural damage, but before it is inaugurated we are going to carry out load tests both with moving and static vehicles to verify that the work fulfills the objective for which it was designed,” he explained.
Mendiburu Solis said that once the reinforcement is complete and the static load tests done, the main construction of the bridge will be finished, however, the bridge still requires the installation of lighting which has been started but is not finished, surveillance cameras and license plate readers.
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