First repair in 59 years for the La Farola viaduct, one of the seven wonders of Cuban civil engineering

The La Farola viaduct, deemed by communist propaganda as one of the seven wonders of Cuban civil engineering, will be repaired for the first time in 59 years. This is reported by the official press, acknowledging that the mountain road, which spans 154 kilometers and connects Sagua to Baracoa, has gone almost six decades without receiving "a major repair."

Now it will be available, as they explain, because Hurricane Óscar has caused sinkholes and collapses, along with the wear and tear from continuous use since its construction in 1965.

However, these extensive reform works will not begin until specialists from the Engineering and Design Services company in Holguín (Vértice) conduct a diagnostic assessment of the projects to be undertaken. This preliminary study will proceed at a governmental pace: it will take nearly a month. An interesting detail is that this complex highway was constructed in 20 months, between April 1964 and December 1965.

To carry out the renovation work on the La Farola viaduct, it is necessary to recover 40 trucks and bulldozers that are currently inactive, suggesting that this may take a while, considering the fuel shortage on the Island. However, according to Cubadebate, all that machinery is motionless due to a lack of batteries, lubricants, and tires. In other words, it's due to a lack of funds.

The investment for the capital reform to be carried out on the La Farola viaduct will be assumed by a state entity (Provincial Road Center), and the authorities now indicate that they will allocate a permanent crew for its maintenance. Cubadebate does not clarify whether this crew has existed at any point nor the reasons why one of the seven wonders of Cuban civil engineering has suffered from neglect, despite being used by 98% of the people entering or leaving Baracoa and by 83% of cargo transportation.

While major repair works on the viaduct are underway, heavy traffic will be diverted to the Guantánamo-Sagua-Moa-Baracoa roads, which are also currently under construction, reports the local newspaper Venceremos.

Initially, while the diagnosis of the work to be done at La Farola is being completed, it is expected that the construction of the section of the viaduct in Cagüeybaje will commence.