During the overnight hours of June 22-23, the dismantled structure of a pedestrian bridge sitting idle on the shoulder of the Santa Rosa–La Barca federal highway in Atotonilquillo was removed and transported to Chapala, where it will eventually be installed on the Libramiento bypass.
Using cranes and specialized moving equipment, workers dismantled the metal framework in response to requests from Atotonilquillo residents, who cited the disruptions to traffic flow and accident hazards the structure caused in the La Santa Julia area.
The large metal structure’s parts had sat in the roadside zone since last October, never assembled into a functioning crossing that would let pedestrians safely cross the busy highway.
Townspeople had argued that the bridge materials encroached on areas needed for vehicles decelerating and merging back into traffic, and interfered with passengers boarding and disembarking from public transportation.
In a video posted to his social media account, Chapala Mayor Alejandro Aguirre Curiel announced that the decision followed a survey of residents, who expressed a preference for a solution based on crosswalks controlled by traffic lights and signage.
The mayor said the bridge will eventually be erected over the Chapala bypass in the school zone near the Instituto Tecnológico, the Conalep high school, and the future campus of the Chapala University Center, to improve safety for the hundreds of students who cross the roadway on foot each day going to and from class.