Municipal, state and federal officials have taken the decision to reopen the new bridge linking the states of Jalisco and Nayarit after engineers pronounced it safe for use Tuesday afternoon.
The older of the two bridges crossing the Ameca River at the boundary between the two states collapsed in the early hours of Thursday morning during a heavy rainstorm.
Both bridges transport thousands of vehicles each day in and out of Puerto Vallarta on Highway 200. The road is the main vehicular means of entry into the popular tourist resort. It also links the newer resorts of Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerias and Punta de Mita with the airport, old town and established Vallarta hotel zone.
At present, state and municipal Civil Protection and traffic officials are only allowing small cars and vehicles with light cargo across the new bridge, which is limited to one lane in each direction. Engineers had feared that debris from the collapse of the old bridge might have swept downstream and damaged the pillars of the new bridge.
State officials expect to give the all clear for heavier transport to resume using the bridge some time tomorrow.
President Felipe Calderon said the federal government would help in whatever way necessary to get the old bridge repaired as soon as possible.
Although repairs can be expected to start as soon as possible, traffic delays at the Ameca River crossing will continue for several months.
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