Bridge to board the Regla boat in danger of collapsing: “You have to cross five at a time”

HeEmboque de Regla bridge, place of departure and return of the boats that transport passengers through the bay of Havana, is located indanger of collapse, according to complaints from the population.

“Now to get off the boat in ReglaYou have to cross the bridge 5 at a time due to the danger of collapse. Another queue!"assured on Twitter the user Raúl Fuentes Blanco, who included an image of the bridge.

The popular Regla boat, which connects Avenida del Puerto, in Old Havana, with the municipal grocery store, is one of the oldest means of passenger transportation in the Cuban capital. It was originally intended for the transportation of goods between the towns of Casablanca and Regla, although over time it only began to transport people between both sides of the bay.

Each boat that provides the service has an approximate capacity of 90 people, of which up to 30 can board with their bicycles, although the number admitted is frequently higher.

Almost seven years ago, the construction of anew pier at the Muelle de Luz, on Avenida del Puerto, which replaced the old building where the boats that link the two sides of the bay departed or arrived at. Whilethe pier and boardwalk of Regla were among the "prioritized" works that the government had to finish last year for the town's 335th anniversary, according to theofficial press.

"When the reconstruction of the dock is completed, the boat where passengers currently board to both destinations will cease those functions and will be used for the docking of other vessels," Rodolfo Báez Arce, coordinator of Inspection and Control of the Council of the Municipal Administration. However, there is no confirmation of the completion of such works on the official media websites, which were consulted byCyberCuba.

Most of Cuba's bridges and infrastructure are deteriorated due to lack of maintenance and the government does not allocate a budget to rescue them.

Last January it was learned that the famous bridges of Guanajay, in the province of Artemisa,are in danger of collapse, but local authorities assure that there is no budget to repair them.

On that same date, the complaint of several Cuban drivers who warned aboutthe poor condition of the bridges between Baracoa, in Guantánamo, and Moa, in Holguín, which constitute a danger to the lives of drivers and passengers.

Also, last yearThe state budget in Matanzas did not include any amount allocated to the repair of the bridges of that city, known precisely as the city of bridges.