The retaining wall at the exit of the Chekka tunnel partially collapsed this morning, without causing any casualties. (Photo provided by Michel Hallak)
A partial collapse of the support wall at the exit of the Chekka tunnel (North Lebanon), on the main highway that connects Tripoli to Beirut, caused a huge traffic jam on the highway this morning. The wall, destroyed six years ago following a detachment of rocks from the Hamat mountain, and which has been the subject of repairs carried out by a contractor, Khatib and Alami, since Aug. 21 on behalf of the state, apparently partially collapsed again Thursday morning, without causing any injuries on the road.
According to information obtained by L'Orient-Le Jour's correspondent, the contractor carried out emergency work on Thursday morning to partially reopen the road, removing the embankments that had rolled onto the public highway. This partial reopening did not prevent the traffic jam but allowed the flow of cars to continue on a single line. Questioned Thursday morning by L'Orient-Le Jour on this incident, caretaker Public Works and Transport Minister Ali Hamieh simply replied that "the work is underway," without wanting to give further details.
The repair work on this retaining wall at the Hamat mountain was inaugurated with great fanfare on Aug. 21 by Hamieh, in the presence of North Lebanon MPs. The repair of this retaining wall has been a long-standing demand for many motorists who use this main road. For six years, traffic at the Chekka tunnel has been reduced to a single line instead of three. Hamieh had then specified that the work at this location would cost more than six million dollars, a budget taken from the state coffers and not through a donation or loan.
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
