Designed to have a lifespan of 120 years, the suspended bridge over the Danube in Brăila, nicknamed the Romanian Golden Gate, is facing issues once again.
This time, asphalt repairs are being made, and officials announce „discomfort” in traffic.
"There will be asphalt repairs on the deteriorated areas. Basically, some repairs. There will be a certain discomfort in the work area, but traffic will not be interrupted," explains the spokesperson of the National Road Infrastructure Administration Company (CNAIR), Alin Șerbănescu, quoted by Adevărul.
The bridge over the Danube is once again showing settlements on the Brăila side, so the constructor must make repairs on the deteriorated areas. In some areas, quite serious unevenness has appeared, measuring up to 10 centimeters.
The constructor, the consortium of companies Webuild SPA and IHI Infrastructure Systems LTD, is obligated to remedy all the irregularities that have arisen.
Minister Grindeanu's Reaction
The Minister of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu, says that the bridge in Brăila will not be accepted until the existing non-conformities are rectified.
"There are non-conformities that those who carried out this work must correct, and these non-conformities must be eliminated, after which we will proceed with the acceptance of this work. Until these non-conformities are eliminated, and the work in these days is focused on eliminating these non-conformities, we will not accept it. Period," says the Minister of Transport, quoted by Mediafax.
He specifies that he has communicated this not only to the local management of the constructor but also to the central management in Rome.
"I don't want to get into a sort of blackmail. (...) The part on Jijila, on the Tulcea bank of the Danube, has been completed. At this moment, there is a kind of semi-blackmail situation where - gentlemen, we won't open it to traffic until you accept and receive the bridge. My colleagues cannot accept a work as long as there are non-conforming parts. I understand that they have started to remove these non-conformities," adds Grindeanu.
A Bridge with Many Flaws
The bridge inaugurated on July 6 with a procession of dignitaries led by president Klaus Iohannis has since faced numerous issues, from loose screws to cracks in the structural integrity which CNAIR stated were caused by execution errors.
Therefore, the bridge in Brăila has not yet been accepted by CNAIR.
The suspended bridge over the Danube in Brăila is the largest suspended bridge ever built in Romania, the third largest in Europe by size, and the final bridge over the Danube before it flows into the Black Sea.