At 8.30 am today, in the tunnel that connects Tabua to Lugar de Baixo, there was a fall of rocks from the cliff above the tunnel, causing damage to the reinforced concrete structure putting in question the tunnel’s security.
According to a note sent by the office of the regional secretary for Equipment and Infrastructure, “immediately, Via Expresso closed the road on the side of Tabua. For Lugar de Baixo not to be isolated, and since the works that are being carried out in escarpment overlooking the Ponta do Sol tunnel are controlled and present no imminent danger, Lugar de Baixo is accessible from the Rotunda da Ponta do Sol, after which users have to take the alternative route via ER222 “
In the same note, it can be read that, “at this moment, the inpectors are carrying out an inspection of the area where the stones fell, in order to assess what happened and whether there is rock material still in danger of falling. damage assessment, namely of the structure, was made in order to make a decision “.
This Tunnel was programmed to be closed from yesterday as mentioned in a blog post HERE
so not to sure if the tunnel was open at the time the rocks fell. I know some of you have mentioned on Facebook the heavy traffic on the regional road, while they do this work, and the inconvenience its causing.