The systematic dismantling of the bridge located at the intersection of 100th Street and Rancho Boyeros Avenue, in the Boyeros municipality of Havana, raised alarms on social media on Sunday, when a neighbor identified as Froilan Vega posted a detailed report about the progressive looting of the structure.
I want to see if anyone else has noticed the acts of vandalism as they have been dismantling the bridge at 100 and Boyeros right in front of everyone, turning it into a death trap," wrote Vega in the Facebook group Affordable House Sales in Boyeros.
According to the complaint, unknown individuals have removed the metal guardrails, road signage, and the foundation fill, while using materials from the nearby transport stop as raw material.
Additionally, makeshift paths have been created for vehicles to drive over the curbs, and handmade fences have been installed in place of the original safety barriers.
“Who is carrying out this work? Do they have authorization? Who is responsible for the damage caused to public property?” Vega asked, requesting that the publication be spread until it reached some institution.
The bridge at 100 and Boyeros is one of the busiest points in the capital: the Government of Havana reported in December 2022 that approximately 50,000 people pass through that area daily, as it serves as a major access route between José Martí International Airport and the city center.
"It's not just about the publication; they have dismantled the entire city," wrote a commenter, who mentioned the removal of gates in Cerro, the complete theft of fences in Mazmorra, and the removal of railings from the CONI amusement park.
Another neighbor raised concerns about the condition of the bridge at the entrance to Terminal 3 of the airport: "They are all being dismantled right before our eyes and nothing is happening, the police are immune... Until when?"
"These sheets are unmistakable and are used for the construction of makeshift homes; it’s not far from where they are being used, so the authorities don’t intervene simply because they don’t want to," noted another Cuban.
"It gives the impression that we are in a country without laws, without control. The most regrettable thing is the absence of oversight from the competent authorities," lamented a citizen.
At the end of October, four men were detained while dismantling metal railings from the bridge at 114th Street and the Havana–Pinar del Río highway in Marianao, using a state-owned bus to transport the materials. Days earlier, young people were recorded trying to rip off the metal beams of the floating dock at Alameda de Paula in Old Havana, at risk of falling into the bay.
In Matanzas, during August, a section of the railings of the General Lacret Morlot Bridge over the Yumurí River disappeared, and two individuals attempted to steal eight aluminum tubes from the Viaduct of that city.
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