Bridge repair work crimp morning commutes

JORGE FERNÁNDEZ/LA PRENSA

snarled: Morning commuters were frustrated by construction work on the Puente de las Américas yesterday.1094960

Traffic into the capital slowed to a crawl yesterday as works continued on the Pan-American Highway and the westbound lanes of Puente Centenario.

A major bottleneck was caused by crews repairing one of the slabs on the lanes leading from Arraiján to the Puente Centenario, while the project to rehabilitate sections of the Puente de las Américas also started, necessitating the closure of one lane.

María Berrio, who frequently crosses the Puente Centenario during her morning commute, complained that traffic yesterday made the normally 45-minute trip stretch into two hours. Berrio said that she left her house in La Chorrera at 6:30 a.m. and didn’t get to her office in the city until past 8:30 a.m.

Making matters worse, driver Pedro Alberto Hernández ignored safety signs barring access to the closed lane on Puente de las Américas and collided with equipment from the Constructora Urbana SA, causing damages estimated at $20,000.