public works

State of toll road provokes concern

Levi Cruz/LA PRENSA

bumps and fissures on the arraiján-la chorrera road1099538

Deteriorating conditions on the Arraiján-La Chorrera toll highway are a mounting source of concern among bus and truck drivers and transportation authorities alike, who claim that the poor state of the road increase the likelihood of accidents and accelerate wear and tear to vehicles.

Carrión González, who as assistant conductor of the Panama-David bus route frequently takes the highway, said he has witnessed the steady decline of conditions with growing alarm.

To avoid falling into deep potholes and fissures, González explained that most drivers of heavy vehicles have to switch from the right lane to the far left lane, coming into closer contact with smaller cars.

“It's the only way to go,” he said, especially since the Autoridad de Tránsito y Transporte Terrestre (ATTT) requires that trucks and buses take the Arraiján-La Chorrera highway rather than the Pan-American highway.

Harmodio Wong, chairman of the Cámara Provincial de Transporte de Coclé, commented that the state of the road was taking its toll on expensive freight carriers and said he worried that it is contributing to accidents. Wong noted that smaller vehicles travel at 100 kph and larger ones at roughly 80 kph.

"What are they waiting for, to see a big accident before they act?" he added.

Opened in 1981, the $28 million Arraiján-La Chorrera highway was the first toll road of its kind in the country, and was aimed at improving the speed and safety of commutes in the area.

A tour of along the 28.5-kilometer route reveals just how abject the conditions are. The road’s surface has deep cracks that fill with water and mud, creating a veritable obstacle course for drivers mile after mile. The far right lane shows the most wear by far, meaning that many drivers choose to turn off the highway from interior lanes.

Jorge Pitalúa, chief of inspections by the Ministry of Public Works (MOP), explained that there is a project planned for the rehabilitation of the road that has already been tendered and is currently being reviewed.

According Pitalúa the project includes repairing 80 percent of the damaged slabs, a project that will cost more than $8 million.