River flood destroys bridge in Holguín

Considered one of the most important road works of the Turquino Plan in the province of Holguín, the Arroyo Seco bridge, built in April 2015,collapsed in the early hours of this Saturday due to the flooding of the Mayari Rivercaused by heavy rain.

“Mayarí: The Arroyo Seco bridge collapsed. The event occurred at one in the morning today as a consequence of a sudden flooding of the Mayari River," he indicated inFacebook the official radio stationTelecrystal.

Built less than ten years ago, the 280-meter-long viaduct crossed the tail of the Mayarí Dam. According to the official newspaperGranma, with its construction, the land passage of people and products in the area, interrupted by the construction of the reservoir, was reestablished, and “the economic and social life of thousands of residents in the heart of the Sierra Cristal” was revitalized.

With the collapse of the bridge that occurred this morning, according toTelecrystal, “the direct link with six communities of Mayarí and the territory of the Second Front in the province of Santiago de Cuba” is lost.

Inaugurated with the presence of the then first secretary of the party in Holguín,Luis Antonio Torres Iribar (today at the head of the Communist Party in the capital), the Arroyo Seco bridge restored access to the municipality of II Frente, in Santiago de Cuba.

“To form the dam on which the carbon fiber reinforced concrete slab was built, through which motor vehicles and other means of transportation travel, the forces of the Engineering Works Construction Company No. 16, contracted for the task, “They poured 60,000 cubic meters of stone,” he indicated.Granma.

According to the engineerYoelvis Grandales Matos, construction manager, it was necessary to use that amount since in some sections the depth to be saved reached 19 meters. The enormous curtain of stones functioned as a communicating vessel that let water pass through, “so that it does not accumulate until it reaches the top of the bridge.”

"Nevertheless,to resist river flooding in heavy rainy seasons, the specialists ofTorrent, the company responsible for the project, designed a 60-meter-long spillway at one end of the dam,” stated the official media.

However, something went wrong in the calculations of Grandales Matos and the Raudal company, since this Saturday the rains in the town caused the Mayarí River to flood and the civil works to collapse.

According toGranma, said work “did not exceed five million pesos because the Comprehensive Directorate of Transfer Projects, in charge of the investment, held several analyzes with Raudal specialists and the executors, until the initial amount was reduced, which constitutes a healthy exercise for the economy to keep in mind in all sectors." .

For its part,Telecrystalreported that the flood "affects low areas where homes are already flooded because the water level rises quickly."

“The Municipal Defense Council activated together with the Civil Defense acts for the evacuation of the inhabitants of the affected areas and the resources of entities. The population is safe and all the Sagüeros neighbors are collaborating while we remain alert to this natural event caused by the intense rains,” the station added.