The agency said it will open an alternate lane while it corrects the problem.
The Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) determined that the failure of a geologically unstable slope was what caused the mass displacement that occurred in Punta Balendrita on the Las Galeras-Samaná highway, after the evaluation carried out by a team of technicians who traveled to this province.
According to the report by experts from the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC), the event resulted from the failure of a geologically unstable slope composed of alluvial material, silt-clays, sand, and gravel with very low cohesion. The presence of groundwater flowing down from the mountain carried the fine fractions of the slope, causing instability.
Minister Deligne Asención immediately ordered a team of technicians from the institution, composed of geologists and soil mechanics experts, to travel to the province of Samaná to determine the origin of the displacements and apply the necessary corrective measures.
Public Works will enable an alternative lane, allowing the solutions to be implemented without stopping traffic.
"A good drainage system will be built, along with slope protection and wave protection against the waves that damage the slope, which is the main cause of the cracking," explains a press release.
To carry out investigations in the affected area and avoid risks to those who travel on that stretch, the MOPC is working in coordination with the Emergency Operations Center (COE) and the Military and Police Commission (COMIPOL) of the Ministry of Public Works.
The press release states that MOPC brigades and teams have been addressing traffic disruptions and other issues on several roads in the northern region and provinces such as Samaná and Puerto Plata, which have been severely affected by the rains that have been falling across much of the country for the past two weeks.
