ARCHIVED - Work finally begins to prevent further rockfalls near to Panoramic Lift in Cartagena
Calle Gisbert is home to the former Civil War shelter which is now a museum and the panoramic lift which takes visitors up to the castle
Work has finally begun on the project to stabilize the steep rock faces which line Calle Gisbert in the city of Cartagena in order to guarantee the safety of pedestrians and reduce the risk of further rockfalls such as those which have already occurred on various occasions.
Although originally budgeted at just under 392,000 euros, the final project now going ahead is costing the council 546,000 euros, with an execution period of six months.
Over the years there have been several episodes of rockfalls in this street which was cut between two major rockfaces, but the problem worsened as a consequence of the torrential “gota fría” storm which hit the Costa Cálida in September 2019.
The work will be completed by the installation of special netting such as that which is already in place at the Monte de las Casillas de El Portús, where the boulders which cascaded from the mountainside in 2014 resulted in eleven families being barred or evicted from their homes as a safety precaution.
Three of the four rock faces to be strengthened are in Calle Gisbert itself and the fourth is on the climb up to the Parque Torres and the Castillo de la Concepción. The surface area of the rock face in which the Civil War Air Raid Shelter Museum is located is over 3,000 square metres and there are also a further 2,000 m² to be covered in netting next to the old bullring on the opposite side of the road.
Images: Ayto. Cartagena