This Tuesday a
motorway bridge close to the Italian city of Genoa collapsed, killing dozens of
people, including two Romanians. The Government in Rome has launched an
investigation into the activity of the company charged with the maintenance of
the bridge. The company is now facing a 150-million-euro fine as well as having
its concession agreement revoked.
The tragedy in Italy has prompted authorities
in other countries, such as Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine, to review the status
of their bridges. The National Road Company in Romania said all bridges are in
good condition. Of the country’s 4,250 bridges, only 37 have been flagged for
some technical problems, yet most of these are on secondary roads, the company
reports. No bridge poses any immediate risk of collapsing. The company is
constantly monitoring bridges, and where risks are detected, bridges are shut
down and traffic is diverted to other roads. Under the legislation in force,
bridges are inspected every six months or sooner, where needed.
The National
Road Company says maintenance works can take from 10 up to 15 years, while the
total period of rehabilitating or rebuilding a bridge segment spans from 35 to
50 years, depending on a technical analysis. According to a company release, a
public tender will soon be organized for awarding contracts to rehabilitate
bridges crossing the Romanian section of the Danube on A2 motorway. In turn,
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov ordered that all bridges be verified,
renovated and consolidated. Bulgarian Minister of Public Works said over 200
bridges, built over 35 years ago, are in bad shape. Road infrastructure in
Romania is a delicate subject.
Romania ranks at the bottom of the list of EU
member states in terms of highways. In August 2018, Romania had only 774
kilometers of highway. The budget allotted to road infrastructure this year
provides for insufficient funds to finish ongoing motorway construction works,
although the deadline for some of these projects is 2019. Besides, several projects
are at a standstill as no funds have been allotted for next year. The
Sibiu-Pitesti motorway, the Pitesti-Craiova express road, the Romania-Moldova
highway, the southern beltline in Bucharest or the bridge over the Danube in
Braila are all projects that started in 2017, but whose funding has been
severely diminished in 2018.