Highway collapse blamed on rainfall
By Yang Jian |
July 11, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TWO people died when a highway in southwest China's Yunnan Province collapsed just two days after it had opened last month, the Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.
The road had been given the title of "the highway with the shortest life in China" by Internet users, Xinhua said.
Three places on the 90-kilometer highway linking Xinping Yi and Dai Autonomous County and the Sanjiangkou area collapsed during heavy rain on June 27.
Two people were killed when a vehicle fell down the hillside and another two occupants were injured, the report said.
The land and traffic authorities of the province said after an investigation that the collapse was a "natural disaster" as the heavy rain and accumulated water had put too much pressure on the road.
Many people commented online that they suspected work on the highway project had been substandard.
One said it sounded impossible that a highway should collapse because of rainfall.
However, an investigation after the accident had found no quality problems on the highway, said Bu Youzhang, director of the county's transport bureau.
But Xinhua cited some experts as saying that the highway had been built to a tight timetable and had opened to the public right after the construction had been completed, and this had contributed to the accident.
Highways should be closed for a while before opening otherwise the roadbed might be unstable, an expert, who asked for anonymity, told Xinhua.
The project manager had requested workers put in overtime so the highway could open before the end of June and thus enjoy a financial subsidy from central government, the report said.
If the opening had been delayed then the county government would be responsible for the entire cost of the project, under subsidy rules.
The road had been given the title of "the highway with the shortest life in China" by Internet users, Xinhua said.
Three places on the 90-kilometer highway linking Xinping Yi and Dai Autonomous County and the Sanjiangkou area collapsed during heavy rain on June 27.
Two people were killed when a vehicle fell down the hillside and another two occupants were injured, the report said.
The land and traffic authorities of the province said after an investigation that the collapse was a "natural disaster" as the heavy rain and accumulated water had put too much pressure on the road.
Many people commented online that they suspected work on the highway project had been substandard.
One said it sounded impossible that a highway should collapse because of rainfall.
However, an investigation after the accident had found no quality problems on the highway, said Bu Youzhang, director of the county's transport bureau.
But Xinhua cited some experts as saying that the highway had been built to a tight timetable and had opened to the public right after the construction had been completed, and this had contributed to the accident.
Highways should be closed for a while before opening otherwise the roadbed might be unstable, an expert, who asked for anonymity, told Xinhua.
The project manager had requested workers put in overtime so the highway could open before the end of June and thus enjoy a financial subsidy from central government, the report said.
If the opening had been delayed then the county government would be responsible for the entire cost of the project, under subsidy rules.
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