New “Bailey” bridge between San Ramon and La Fortuna could be installed in two weeks; excessive weight ruled as cause of collapse

(MOPT for ICR News)

• The bridge that collapsed on Thursday had been in place for nearly seven years, since the 2009 Cinchona earthquake.

November 13^th, 2015 (ICR News) The collapse of a bridge on Route 702 between San Ramon and La Fortuna de San Carlos, home of the Arenal Volcano, on Thursday morning was due to the excessive weight of two dump trucks that attempted to cross the bridge at the same time, authorities say.

The two dump trucks were both carrying full loads of asphalt, authorities said, which may have been close to double the weight capacity of the bridge when combined.

The drivers of the two dump trucks, as well as a motorcyclist who was also on the bridge at the same time, suffered only minor injuries in the incident.

The structure was a type of bridge known as a “Bailey” bridge, a type of modular, easy-to-assemble bridge commonly used by militaries in other countries as temporary bridges during emergencies or in war zones, though they have often been used as long-term structures in Costa Rica over the years.

In fact, there are more than 100 Bailey bridges installed throughout the country, some of which have been in place as long as 30 years, according to roads authority, CONAVI.

The bridge that collapsed on Thursday had been in place for nearly seven years, since the 2009 Cinchona earthquake.

Many large buses, including buses filled with tourists pass over the bridge daily.

Road authorities are estimating that the passage will be closed between 11 and 14 days, while a new Bailey bridge is installed.

CONAVI estimates that the replacement of the structure with a new Bailey bridge will cost more than US $200,000, though did not rule out that parts of the existing structure could be recycled as part of the newly installed Bailey bridge.

Meanwhile, residents of La Fortuna must now travel via Ciudad Quesada to reach the Central Valley, a detour of more than 40 kilometers in most cases.

The bridge, often referred to by those in the area as the Cataratas bridge, is located some 30 minutes from downtown San Ramon on the way to La Fortuna.

Almost three years ago to the day, another Bailey bridge located on the busy General Canas Highway in San Jose collapsed after a large crane that well exceeded the bridges’ weight capacity attempted to cross the structure.  The November, 2012 collapse caused traffic chaos, even forcing authorities to cancel school in many areas of San Jose for several days and increase train service.