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A bacterium that corrodes stainless steel paralyzes the reform of the promenade of the Levante dock in Torrevieja
The material of the railings is affected by bacterial contamination transferred through the packaging, and the reopening of the first section, scheduled for November 1, is delayed to December 23, in which it is the third extension of the execution period.
To put it simply: a bacterium that finds the surface of stainless steel attractive and, under certain conditions, takes up residence there. This is the cause of the third delay in the completion of the rehabilitation work on the Levante breakwater's cantilevered promenade and its long-awaited reopening, scheduled for this Saturday, November 1st, after the second extension granted to the contractor by the Torrevieja City Council.
The Councilor for Works and Services, Sandra Sánchez, told INFORMACIÓN that very soon, last July, after the installation of the first railings and handrails that must be placed along the 1,200 linear meters of the promenade, it began to be detected that a layer of rust covered some areas of the pieces. This was especially the case in those located in the area that lies to the west, to the dock, with specific temperature and humidity conditions. When the handrail was cleaned superficially, the rust disappeared, but reappeared.
Testing
The technicians could not explain what the cause could be with a supply of new stainless steel, recently finished and delivered, which exceeds in quality what was required in the specifications of the contract. Several tests were carried out through the supervision of the works, mainly to check the basics: if the material supplied was really what the conditions of the contract required. The steel was exactly what was called for in the specifications and its quality was the optimal: AISI 316 stainless steel and austenitic.
They have finally been the experts of the AIDIMME Technological Institute, a reference centre in research and innovation in materials in the industry of the metal based in Valencia, which after several trials has found the key after weeks of uncertainty, although they already suspected what the cause could be. It is a bacterial corrosion due to contamination, transferred through the plastic film of the packaging in which the pieces arrived, which left a characteristic mark on the material in the form of circles. The packaging gave room to create a film with microenvironmental conditions between the plastic and the material that caused this corrosion to spread. Bacteria do not "eat" stainless steel, but in certain marine environments – the dike is facing east by the sea – on dry surfaces, they are able to survive.
It can be fixed. But not immediate. The parts that are already in place must be polished, a process that must also be applied to the joints of the welds, to prevent this type of microbial corrosion from penetrating the material if it occurs again. That doesn't change their outward appearance. In fact, it makes it even more shiny to the eye.
The first section of the cantilever walk to the sculpture of the Bella Lola will open on December 23. The second in mid-February. And the last one to the lighthouse on March 27. But the entire pedestrian route at the bottom of the cantilever promenade will be available to users - and anglers - from the end of December.
Accidental
Sánchez explained to INFORMACIÓN that this is a totally accidental cause of delay that is not attributable to either the City Council or the awarded company, CHM. This circumstance will be included in the report that will allow the execution period to be extended administratively in the coming days. In this sense, he pointed out that it is the supplier of the stainless steel handrail and railing pieces, Metallería Barceló, which has designed them specifically for this specific project, which is responsible for assuming the extra cost of carrying out the polishing of the 400 linear meters that are installed, in addition to providing the new material by removing what was already on site and in stock. around another 800 meters.
The project includes a supply of one thousand meters of exterior railing, the one that faces the dock and the sea and a thousand for the interior that falls on the dock, with different height characteristics depending on its location and valued at 470,000 euros.
Pergolas
The same problem that has affected the railings occurs in the columns of the pergolas located in the walking viewpoint areas. They don't need to be replaced either. Just polish them. But its final assembly had been delayed pending the results of the reports, which could be seen with the naked eye in recent weeks.
Opening dates
Although the dates are not definitive, the new opening schedule by sections of the popular cantilever promenade, which is part of the renovation of the maritime façade, it is designed so that on December 23, already at Christmas, the section that runs between the start of the dike that is not affected by other works - those of the walkway to the leisure center - and the sculpture of the Bella Lola where the wall makes a "curve" can be enabled. In February a wide section of about five hundred meters more could be reopened and in March the final stretch of the entire promenade to the Levante lighthouse. The councilor of the area, Sánchez has made this Friday an important precision: the entire pedestrian layout of the lower part of the cantilever promenade, more than 1,200 linear meters that overlook the port basin, will be available to users - and anglers - from the end of December, with the first opening.
New dashboard, lighting, continuous bench and LED
Since the last visit of the mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón, and other members of the government team to the works Last June, the work has continued to advance in other aspects such as the complete replacement of the luminaires along more than a linear kilometer that the repair intervention has. Also in the installation of the tourist LED lighting, which is completed, and above all the completion of the special technological wooden board with a fiberglass tramex base on about 9,800 square meters -which replaces the wooden planks-, in addition to the arrangement of the continuous concrete bench that is one of the most visible features of the renovation.
The initial execution period for the work, which began in November 2024, was nine months, and should have been completed last July. In June, during the visit to the works, the first extension to August was confirmed. The second was requested in August until November 1. Both were explained by the weather conditions that delayed the process of cleaning and priming the structure of the cantilever promenade and the lack of supplies, especially the prefabricated benches, furniture and the tourist lighting system, which in this work is subsidized with European funds.
The repair and remodeling work of the promenade, which entails an investment of 6,543,733 euros (VAT included), was awarded to CHM after a tortuous process of drafting the project and awarding of the work that lasted for more than three years. It does not substantially change its current appearance, but it does comprehensively renew most of its elements so that conservation is much less expensive than what the municipality has faced during the last 25 years: this cantilevered promenade was inaugurated in 1999.
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