BEIRUT: Public Works Minister Ghazi Zeaiter revealed Friday that the Dbayyeh coastal road that collapsed during the storm Wednesday had not been maintained for years.
In a press conference near the gaping hole that used to be a part of a popular scenic route for motorists north of Beirut, Zeaiter also lamented a lack of state funds to finance its renovation.
“No maintenance was performed,” Zeaiter told reporters from the scene. “However, our impression today was that it’s not a matter of maintenance, there is something wrong."
The road was one of several structures that were damaged as massive tidal waves slammed into Lebanon's coast earlier this week at the peak of Storm Yohan's ferocity.
“From February 15, 2014 to present, no one ever complained [about problems with this road],” he added, referring to the day he took office.
As Zeaiter spoke to the media, private contract workers installed temporary concrete road blocks to prevent vehicles from approaching the hole.
Zeaiter explained that erosion to the road's supporting wall started in 2006, and that a project to increase support to the road by the Council for Development and Reconstruction was not carried out.
“It could be due to the lack of the necessary funds,” the minister said, adding that the government should claim responsibility and act to prevent other roads from falling in future storms.
MP Nabil Nicolas, who participated in the press conference, told reporters that officials had been complaining about the road being weak since 2007.
Inspectors from the Public Works Ministry surveyed the road and other damaged coastal structures Thursday. The damaged areas included Beirut’s Ain al-Mreisseh Corniche, the Nahr al-Kalb tunnel and a road in Amchit.
No comments:
Post a Comment