VZCZCXRO0391
RR RUEHAO
DE RUEHCV #1263 1301912
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101912Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY CARACAS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4428
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 6431
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 1198
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ 1976
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 0206
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 2056
RUEHAO/AMCONSUL CURACAO 0793
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL 0455
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0176

UNCLAS CARACAS 001263 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR DAN TOMLINSON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EAIR ETRD KDEM PGOV ASEC VE
SUBJECT: CARACAS-LA GUAIRA BYPASS ROAD CLOSED AGAIN 
 
REF: A. CARACAS 742 
 
     ¶B. CARACAS 459 
 
This message is sensitive but unclassified, please treat 
accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU)  On May 8, after heavy rains, a landslide blocked 
the newly-constructed Bridge Bypass Road (BBR) built to link 
Caracas to the main air and sea ports.  The 2.5 km road, 
opened in late February as an alternate route after the 
closure and collapse of the highway bridge, has steep 
pitching and lacks metal containment netting in some areas. 
Traffic was diverted to the "Old Highway" and other alternate 
routes for nearly 20 hours, as Ministry of Infrastructure 
(MINFRA) teams cleared the debris.  MINFRA announced that 
they had "planned" the landslide as a measure to avoid 
further damage down the line.  (Note: This assertion is 
highly dubious, given that there were vehicles on the road 
when the landslide occurred.  End Note.)  On the morning of 
May 9, road traffic resumed, with restrictions on heavy and 
light traffic and intermittent closures.  MINFRA is removing 
some loose material from the landslide and installing 
additional containment structures to contain susceptible 
loose rock. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  On May 9, Post convened a meeting to discuss the 
effects of the closure.  Since the closures are intermittent, 
Post has decided to not restrict Embassy travel, but rather 
encourage daylight travel, scheduling ample travel time, and 
taking a taxi rather than driving a personal vehicle on the 
bypass road.  Post will continue to monitor the situation 
closely, and re-assess the situation in the case of permanent 
road closure. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Comment:  The landslides on this road, given the 
onset of the rainy season, were predictable.  We can expect 
this episode to repeat itself unless MINFRA can adequately 
reinforce the pitching to prevent landslide rubble from 
obstructing the road.  The fact that MINFRA and other members 
of the BRV again declared that the damage was "intentional" 
shows that MINFRA's policy (and the way the BRV deals with 
infrastructure crises in general) is reactive and 
uncoordinated.  Opposition media, as with the bridge closure, 
have taken this opportunity to blast Chavez for his poor 
record on this issue.  End Comment. 
BROWNFIELD