Several unions denounced that the bridge over Lake Maracaibo suffers from wear and tear over time and from the supports in the rollers of various sections, corrosion in the steel of the pedestals, as well as the need to ensure the correct tensioning of the cables.
Josed Alastre | The truth
Zulian unions denounced this Friday, February 24, that, despite the announcements of maintenance to the General Rafael Urdaneta bridge made by the National Urban Transport Fund (Fontur), no authority detailed the work carried out, so no one really knows the structural situation In which it is found.
Said complaint was made through a statement delivered to the Daily Truththe Zulia State Chamber of Construction, the College of Engineers and a group of professors from the University of Zulia (LUZ) dedicated to the analysis and maintenance of the bridge.
The objective of the members is that the executing companies and agencies in charge “allow us to know what they are developing, to be able to inspect the work and issue comments or suggestions, and even collaborate with technical support, if necessary.”
In addition, as noted by the organizations, the proper protocols are not followed in the “trials or tests on visible structures, consisting of taking concrete samples.”
*Read also: Engineering Academy warns about damage to the bridge over Lake Maracaibo
In the opinion of these professionals, “the use of a ferroscan or similar equipment is not noticeable and we do not observe the use of high-resistance mortars to seal the perforations produced by taking samples.”
“These empty spaces inside the element can lead to pathologies such as carbonation and corrosion of the reinforcing steel,” they assured.
For these reasons, the different organizations express their willingness to help in these cases, since “we have project studies and the necessary interventions to undertake its maintenance and preservation, as well as repair protocols” and more.
Bridge structural damage
According to the statement, LUZ formed, between 1994 and 2001, “a team of experts for the study, preservation and maintenance of the bridge. Since then, there have been reports of the most important works required by the bridge”.
These detailed the presence of new damage due to time, as well as the wear of the roller supports in various sections.
Likewise, the bridge over the lake also suffers from corrosion in the steel of the pedestals, the need to ensure the correct tensioning of the cables and other issues of consideration.
The analyzes carried out by the unions included the accident that occurred in 2018, in which a high-voltage cable caused a fire inside the body of the horizontal caisson of pile 23, which affected its concrete, making it very important to pay attention to it.
The organizations asked the institutions in charge to report on the “scope of the work, the possibility of carrying out technical inspections of what is being carried out, as well as knowing the work plan and the circulation closing schedules.”
Likewise, they require that they be notified of any other technical details of the structural pathologies that the bridge over the lake presents, and how they intend to be corrected.
Fontur closed the General Rafael Urdaneta bridge five times from January 30 to February 13, accumulating a little more than 28 hours of partial and total stoppage of traffic.
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