Brazilian expressway collapses over metro tunnel built by Acciona

Brazilian expressway collapses over metro tunnel built by Acciona. 

SAO PAULO: A section of the major highway sank on Tuesday over the construction site within Brazilian City, Sao Paulo, where Spain’s Acciona SA dug a tunnel to construct a new subway line.

There was no report of casualties. However, this could be the latest setback in an incredibly delayed project that became a symbol for poor public infrastructure in the world’s biggest economy.

Television images showed a section of the Marginal Tiete expressway collapsing into a widening pit. 

It runs along with the construction site for the tunnel that will be constructed under another river used to build the proposed Line 6. Line 6. 

Sao Paulo state metro operator announced that the tunnels constructed for the subway project were flooded on the website.

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Officials from the public safety department said that all 50 workers could exit the tunnel. Only two were treated due to contact with water that was dirty that ran through the tunnel.

There was a lot of conflicting information regarding the cause of the flooding and the subsequent collapse.

Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria spoke at a press conference that a sewage collection system owned by the water utility firm Sabesp was struck by a car, causing the accident.

However, Andre De Angelo, Acciona’s director for the country of Brazil, interviewed that there was no incident between an excavating machine or the sewage system.

“We are searching for the reasons right now. However, it is likely to have to do with rain and erosion, as this tunneling equipment was situated three meters from the collector, which means it was not a collision.”

State prosecutors stated in the statement that they had initiated a civil probe into the incident, during which they’ll try to identify the causes of the collapse and the severity of the damages.

Acciona stated in a statement it had taken all necessary precautions following the incident.

Line 6 was originally due to be completed in 2012. However, it was repeatedly delayed because of the lack of funding during an economic downturn in Brazil. 

The project is scheduled to be completed by 2025.

The proposed 15-kilometer (9-mile) railway line, one of the most significant infrastructure projects currently underway throughout Latin America, will join the Brasilandia district in northwestern Sao Paulo to the city’s central area.

Acciona has won the contract worth 2.3 milliards dollars ($2.59 billion) to construct it following the consortium responsible for the subway line ending the project.

Acciona’s shares that are listed on the Madrid exchange Acciona plunged sharply following the incident and closed in the negative 2.98 percent.

The shares listed in Sao Paulo on Sabesp ended the day at 0.91 percent, falling short of Brazil’s benchmark Bovespa equity index, which rose 0.97 percent.

Since establishing activities in Brazil beginning in 1996 Acciona has been working on constructing water treatment facilities in the northeast and constructing 200 kilometers of the highway within Rio de Janeiro.

Other recent projects for transportation in recent times are metro line lines that have been constructed in Barcelona, Dubai, and Vancouver.