Second bridge falls on BR-319; Dnit teams investigate cause of collapse

Karol Rocha – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – Part of the bridge located at kilometer 12 of BR-319 fell in the early evening of Saturday, 8, in the municipality of Careiro da Várzea (88 kilometers from Manaus). On Sunday, 9, the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (Dnit) reported, through a note, that the teams investigate the causes of the incident for the preparation of the technical report. No one was injured.

This is the second bridge collapse on the highway in less than 15 days. On September 28, the bridge over the Curuçá River collapsed and left at least 4 people dead and 14 injured. A temporary bridge is being built at the site.

Still on Saturday afternoon, 8, the military police officer, Israel Amorim, 39, said he was on his way to Manaus, when he and other residents heard noises coming from that structure.

“I have a farm in Careiro and it was on the way to Manaus, around 4pm, that we stopped to see the situation of the bridge. One of the pillars was compromised and when we saw it, the structure started to crack. The only reason we didn’t pass through was because it was already closed and I ended up coming to Manaus by canoe”, said the MP.

The watchman Frankson Pantoja, 46, came to pass through the bridge around 12:00 pm this Saturday, 8. On the way back from work, the site was already interdicted and also had to face the canoe route. “I was near the bridge at 5pm. We tried to cross, but it was already closed, with a crack. You could see that the beam was slipping”, he said.

Watch video of structure before the crash:

Amazonas Government at disposal

The governor of Amazonas, Wilson Lima (Union), manifested through Twitter on the night of Saturday, 8, stating that in conversation with the Minister of Infrastructure, Marcelo Sampaio, was informed that the bridge was already interdicted and that there are no injuries:

“I just spoke with the Minister of Infrastructure, Marcelo Sampaio, about the bridge at kilometer 12, BR-319, which collapsed tonight. It was already closed and there is no news of injuries”, said the publication of the governor.

In another tweet, Wilson Lima said that a team from the federal government should evaluate the structure still this Sunday, 9, and put the state executive at the disposal of the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (Dnit) in whatever is necessary.

“Tomorrow, another team from the Federal Government will arrive in Amazonas to evaluate how to solve the access in the area. Once again, the state is at the disposal of Dnit to help in whatever is needed”, he stressed in the publication.

The Dnit said, in a statement sent at 9:31 am this Sunday, 9, that on Friday, 7, the department’s teams identified the compromise of the structure, during technical inspection, and immediately the board of the municipality instructed that the Superintendence of the State of Amazonas interdict the crossing, aiming at the safety of users.

With the fall of the structure, the Dnit reported that the teams of the autarchy investigate the causes of what happened for the preparation of the technical report.

See the complete note from Dnit:

Regarding the incident registered on the bridge over the Autaz Mirim River, located at kilometer 25 of BR-319/AM, the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (DNIT) informs that:

• The Department’s teams identified the compromise of the structure during a technical inspection conducted on Friday, 7;
• Immediately, the Dnit’s board of directors instructed the Amazonas State Superintendence to interdict the crossing for the safety of users;
• During the night of Saturday, the bridge structure collapsed, and no one was injured in the incident;
• The autarchy’s teams are investigating the causes of what happened in order to prepare a technical report;
• Effective measures to reestablish the traffic of vehicles and the passage of pedestrians in the locality, in an emergency way, are being studied;
• In parallel, the Dnit technicians are working on a project to build a new bridge;
• The Dnit is also monitoring the situation of the other existing structures on the highway.