An abundance of accidents and general chaos was the result of the closure of John F Kennedy Avenue for repairs yesterday on the pedestrian bridge at the intersection with Maximo Gomez. Although the closure was well reported by newspapers and on television, the entire area within a 5-kilometer radius was converted into a parking lot as vehicles crept along, being funneled into one tiny lane. Students and employees were hurling insults at every conceivable government sector in protest of the main thoroughfare’s shutdown during a workday. Businesses along the roadway suffered doubly, with clients unable to access their locales and storeowners late to open. Even President Fernandez was inconvenienced by the event, which forced an unusual amount of traffic onto his usual route and made AMET officers covering the route very nervous. One AMET official called the situation a “collapse of the transport system.” Eighteen accidents occurred, several of which involved multiple vehicles and five of which were classified as “major.” Readers may find a map of the detours at: www.cdn.com.do