Sinkhole and repaving collide on Baldorioty Expressway: ACT reopens critical airport access route in record time

A week of highway headaches ended with good news for the thousands of drivers who cross the Roman Baldorioty de Castro Expressway (PR-26) every day on their way to Luis Munoz Marin International Airport. Between September 9 and September 16, 2026, the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority (ACT) and the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP) had to deal with an emergency sinkhole and the final phase of a repaving project almost simultaneously, on the stretch that connects Carolina and San Juan and serves as the gateway to the airport ¹⁶.

What happened

Early on the morning of Wednesday, September 9, a sinkhole was identified at kilometer 5.4 of the expressway, near the exit toward Punta Las Marias, in the direction from Carolina to San Juan ²³. DTOP explained the finding plainly: "A sinkhole was found early this morning on Baldorioty. While they verify what happened and figure out how to mitigate it, as a safety measure for drivers," the two left lanes of the road were closed ¹. The closure also coincided with an asphalt-paving project the ACT had already been carrying out since September 8 on the airport's main access road, which complicated initial estimates of how long the disruption would last ³.

El Nuevo Dia reported an extensive traffic jam that same morning, with the agency warning that the work could extend throughout the day and urging drivers to avoid the area and use apps like Waze to find alternate routes ³. However, crews from the ACT's contractor worked around the clock, day and night, to complete the emergency repair ⁴⁵. According to the agency, "the work was completed in record time and the road was able to reopen to traffic at midnight, thereby avoiding greater inconvenience and vehicle congestion during rush hour" the following morning ⁴. In practice, the repair took roughly 24 hours from the moment the hole was detected until traffic resumed flowing normally ⁴⁵.

Days later, on Saturday, September 12, DTOP carried out scheduled maintenance on the center barrier wall of PR-26, between kilometers 8.5 and 5, in the direction from Carolina to Isla Verde, also near the airport, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. [dtop]. And on Tuesday, September 16, the cycle closed: the ACT announced the full reopening of all lanes on the airport's main access route, after completing the pavement rehabilitation project on that road ⁶. The surface now has provisional markings while the asphalt finishes curing, after which permanent lane markings will be painted ⁶.

The key numbers

• Kilometer 5.4 (some reports say 5.3): the exact location of the sinkhole, near the Punta Las Marias exit ¹².
• 2 left lanes closed while the hole was assessed and repaired ¹².
• Roughly 24 hours: the time between the sinkhole's detection (early morning of September 9) and the road's full reopening (midnight between September 9 and 10) ⁴⁵.
• Kilometers 8.5 to 5: the stretch of PR-26 where DTOP performed center-wall maintenance on September 12 [dtop].
• September 16: the date all lanes of the airport access route fully reopened after repaving was completed ⁶.

What This Means For You

If you fly in or out of Luis Munoz Marin, or simply cross the Baldorioty daily between Carolina and San Juan, you likely felt the impact on your commute this week. The good news is that, for now, both the sinkhole and the repaving project have been resolved: the lanes are open and the new pavement is already in service, though with provisional markings ⁶. Still, it's worth driving cautiously in that area over the coming weeks while the asphalt finishes curing and permanent lines are painted ⁶. The fact that a second sinkhole appeared on a critical road within a few months is also a sign that drainage and subsoil maintenance on metro-area expressways remains a vulnerable point that frequent drivers should keep an eye on.

How To Do It / Checklist

1. Before heading to the airport, check Waze or Google Maps to confirm there are no last-minute closures on PR-26, especially between Carolina and Isla Verde.
2. Build in at least 20 to 30 extra minutes if you're traveling during rush hour (6:30 to 9:00 a.m. or 4:00 to 6:30 p.m.), especially if you have a flight to catch.
3. Follow the ACT and DTOP's official Facebook and X accounts (@actprgov, @dtop) for alerts on closures, sinkholes, or scheduled work.
4. If you spot a pothole, sinking pavement, or a sinkhole on any road, report it through DTOP's official channels or its citizen service line rather than assuming it's already been detected.
5. Slow down and pay attention to provisional signage on the newly repaved stretch until permanent lane markings are installed.
6. If you use alternate routes such as PR-187 or side streets in Isla Verde and Punta Las Marias, check real travel times on your navigation app before detouring, since those roads can also get congested.

What's Next

DTOP has not determined or publicly disclosed the exact cause of the September 9 sinkhole, so a technical report or explanation can reasonably be expected in the coming weeks, especially if the agency decides to reinforce the subsoil at that spot to prevent a recurrence. The application of permanent lane markings on the repaved stretch also remains pending, a process that depends on asphalt curing time and that the ACT has not precisely dated ⁶. With the high cruise and tourism season starting in October, bringing hundreds of thousands of additional passengers through the airport, keeping this artery stable will be a logistical priority for highway authorities.

Sources: Metro Puerto Rico, Presencia PR, El Nuevo Dia, Radio Isla, DTOP/ACT.