The restoration work on the D. Maria II road bridge, which was closed to traffic this Saturday after an inspection by the National Civil Engineering Laboratory (LNEC) detected problems in the structure, will start as soon as the LNEC report is completed, revealed António Marreiros, deputy mayor of Lagos.
The bridge, located on the old section of the EN125 at the entrance to Lagos, and which facilitates access to Meia Praia and the Marina de Lagos, was the subject of an inspection requested by the local authority and carried out on Friday, the 10th, having been «detected serious damage to the first two arches, counted from the left margin, resulting from the settlement of the first pillar».
“The damage corresponds to cracking along the entire width of these arches, with a significant change in their geometry”, according to the LNEC preliminary report.
According to the technical team that analyzed the situation, cited by the Chamber, "the observed anomalies significantly compromise the resistance capacity of these arches, making it possible for them to collapse abruptly".
For this reason, LNEC recommended the interdiction of the D. Maria II Bridge to traffic and pedestrians, until the works necessary for its consolidation are carried out.
The Council of Lagos proceeded to the closing of the centenary Ponte D. Maria II in the early hours of Saturday, the 11th, closing it to car and even pedestrian traffic.
Last week, the bridge had been paved and it was during these works that the municipality's technicians detected "vibrations caused by changes in the expansion joints", which led the Chamber to "ask the Laboratory for a deeper inspection, urgently, which came to detect serious damage in the base of the structure», explained the vice-president António Marreiros.
However, due to the closure of this bridge, all access traffic to Meia Praia and Marina de Lagos, located on the other side of the Ribeira de Bensafrim, now has to be made via the EN125 bypass.
To try to reduce congestion, the City of Lagos is already studying ways to regulate traffic on this access, which may include the construction of roundabouts.
This Saturday, despite the closure of the D. Maria II Bridge being clearly visible, due to the placement of prohibited traffic signs and railings barring access, there were those who risked walking, even because there was no signage, apart from the physical barriers, which would indicate the prohibition of pedestrian crossing.
There was also no visible indication of alternative access to Meia Praia and the Marina.
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