ENSENADA — Days after a 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck south of Ensenada, the Tijuana-Ensenada toll road has collapsed toward the sea and threatens to continue sinking, though no injuries were reported.
The scenic road had already seen evidence of fractures and sinking since Dec. 19, the day of the earthquake, with many travelers posting pictures on social media of the increasingly critical situation of the highway. However, no official confirmation from geologist or road engineers have confirmed the collapse is due to the earthquake, with only the state government saying that "natural causes" were to blame.
Saturday morning, the small fractures suddenly turned into enormous cracks on the cliffside, plunging the highway deeper and toward the sea, with some parts caving almost 300 feet.
The collapse happened at the Salsipuedes stretch of highway toward Ensenada overlooking steep bluffs, only about 10 miles north of Ensenada and the San Miguel toll booth, and 56 miles south of the border.
Authorities will now close the highway from the La Misión toll to the San Miguel toll, forcing travelers to take the old non-toll road from La Misión to Ensenada, an alternate route of about 30 miles (although, not much difference in total travel time and goes through the countryside
