QCOSTARICA – It was about 4:00 pm on Saturday when a pedestrian bridge collapsed and fell onto the road below, the Circunvalación, specifically in the vicinity of San Sebastián, San José.
According to preliminary reports and a video from a security camera, the structure fell due to a strong impact from a crane.
Two vehicles were hit. The Cruz Roja paramedics confirmed five patients were treated at the scene, of which two required a transfer to the San Juan de Dios hospital in San José. Both people had minor trauma, but were stable and conscious. Their identities were not released.
Officials from the Consejo Nacional de Vialidad (Conavi) went to the site to assess the bridge and remove it from the road.
The Minister of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT), Luis Amador, confirmed to La Nación that he was aware of the fact, because when it was registered he was in a meeting with other officials of the institution.
“I have preliminary understanding that a vehicle hit the bridge, destabilized it and brought it down,” said the Minister of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT), Luis Amador.
The collapse of the bridge caused significant traffic congestion in the area.
The concern of residents is that they are now felt without a pedestrian bridge used during peak hours to take their children to and from schools, knowing well the MOPT’s past reputation of fixing fallen bridges – slow to none.
The closest pedestrian bridge is 700 meters to the west, but to get there one must cross the San Sebastián roundabout, located 300 meters from the fallen bridge.
To the east, the closest pedestrian crossing is in the Parque de la Paz, more than a kilometer away and with the Paso Ancho roundabout in between.
In either case, pedestrians have to navigate areas of high volume of vehicular traffic.
