He Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) started work of structural reinforcement on the overpasses of the avenue February 27as part of a preventive plan to avoid tragedies such as the one that occurred at the intersection with Máximo Gómez Avenue, where the collapse of walls left nine dead on November 18, 2023.
Work is currently concentrated on the overpass February 27 with Tiradentes, where technicians carry out an anchoring process using long bolts or steel pins that serve to discharge liquids.
The diameter of the holes is approximately six and three inches and, according to the geologist Osiris of Leonpresident of the Public Infrastructure Supervision Commission in the face of Climate Change, the work will allow fix the walls that would prevent it from collapsing in the event of water infiltration.
He explained that the intervention responds to a written recommendation of the National Supervisory Commission of Public Infrastructures against Climate Change, an organization that warned about the vulnerability of these structures to high-intensity rain events associated with climate change.
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The technical report notes that porous coralline limestone facilitates the infiltration of large volumes of water during prolonged rainfall, which can generate high pore pressure in the subsoil and hydrostatic pressure against the side walls, increasing the risk of displacement or collapse.
According to specialists, during torrential rains that accumulate between 500 and 600 millimeters per square meter in a few hours, the hydrostatic thrust can be concentrated especially on the faces on the north side, where historically the highest levels of pressure have been recorded.
Background
He recalled that a similar phenomenon occurred in November 1999 on the northeast face of the February 27 with Máximo Gómez, and that the situation was repeated in November 2023 on the northwest face of that same intersection, evidencing the need to comprehensively reinforce these infrastructures.
In addition to the anchoring with bolts of steel, the plan contemplates the installation of a french drain on the northern edge of the most vulnerable faces, with the aim of channel water accumulated and reduce internal pressure during prolonged rain events.
The work will also include transverse bracingor diagonal supports, to reinforce the structures of the structural system.
The same is implemented in other overpasses on the avenue. February 27 and at important intersections in Santiago, as part of a national strategy aimed at strengthening the resilience of road infrastructure against the effects of climate change.
