Work halted on Benissa bypass following accident

A LANDSLIDE which buried a digger on the southern side of Benissa last week has caused the Ministry of public works to halt all further construction until an investigation into the collapse has been undertaken. Geotechnical studies will now be performed, and the construction site at the Calpe side has been closed off until further notice.

A hundred metre long stretch of wall made up of large boulders with a cement coating suddenly sank without warning last week. The area in which the collapse happened is a more complicated construction area than the rest of the N332 bypass around the town. Large terraces have been built, with at least three huge stone walls which were supposed to support the new road, which will be 4.5 kilometres in length.

The collapse has now raised doubts about the stability of the walls in that particular section. The study, which will take up to ten days, will determine whether the rest of the walls can offer the stability required. If the results are negative, the walls will have to be completely demolished and alternative options considered.

The construction of the N332 bypass was restarted a year ago at an estimated total cost of €21.8 million. The contractor, OHL, was given a deadline of 32 months to finish the project. If the geotechnical studies prove negative, OHL could have possibly lost up to six months of construction time.

The digger driver escaped with minor injuries, and returned to work on another part of the site just two hours after his scare.