By The Star Staff
Sen. Marissa “Marissita” Jiménez Santoni requested on Tuesday that the Transportation and Public Works (DTOP) Secretary Eileen Vélez Vega inspect all the retaining walls on the expressways in the jurisdiction of Carolina, due to the possible collapse of one of the structures between Jesús M. Fragoso Avenue and the exit for the Plaza Carolina shopping center off the Román Baldorioty de Castro expressway.
As reported by the STAR, Carolina Mayor José Aponte Dalmau called attention to the fractured and leaking retaining wall in a Monday press release in which he said he had made his own request to DTOP to address the matter with urgency.
Jiménez also asked Senate President José Luis Dalmau Santiago to hold a public hearing to establish a program for evaluating retaining walls along roads and streets throughout the municipality of Carolina.
“DTOP is currently responding to this emergency,” the Carolina District senator said. “However, it can be understood that in the same way that the wall in question began to crack under the weight of the earth undermined by the rains, there are other retaining walls on avenues and/or expressways in Carolina that could be in the same or near the same [condition].”
DTOP closed the aforementioned exit to assess the damage and begin a process of stabilizing the retaining wall.
“Given this reality and taking into consideration the urgency of ensuring the integrity of these structures near high-volume roads, I call on the DTOP secretary to order, in an expeditious manner, a study of all the soil retaining walls throughout Carolina,” said Jiménez, adding that she will make the request official in a letter to Vélez Vega. “This is a matter of safety, to avoid a disaster.”
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