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Olman Vargas, director of the Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y Arquitectos (CFIA), confirms that the pavement on the service road from Atenas (the "radial") to the autopista was lifted some 90 centimetres due to a 5.0 earthquake in Orotina on July 8.

"We are particularly concerned for that point. We already warned of what could happen. We were prophets", said Vargas.

That portion of the radial is closed for repairs, but Vargas said a CFIA inspection revealed the real cause of the problem, though Autopistas del Sol - the concessionaire of Ruta 27 - says that the closure is due to expropriation problems and for security measures.

"On the other side of the radial, a huge rock fell on the road", Vargas told Al Día in an interview.

Vargas warns that the work to shore up the slopes along the Ruta 27 between Orotina and Atenas that allow the re-opening othe section of the highway after almost a month of being closed, "is not definitive".

"They are temporary, just enough to allow the re-opening of the road. But it will not last out the heavy rains of the rainy season", assures Vargas.

For their part, Autopistas does not claim that the work is complete. "We have a responsibility to seek out great security for users and this will be achieved with security measures, maintenance and improvements over the years", said Autopistas in a statement.