Greece bans all traffic across Servia bridge

A total ban on traffic was decided for the bridge of Servia, Kozani, probably after the warnings of the supervising engineer and also in the wake of the accident in Tempi.

It seems that the Regional Authority has decided to comply with the experts’ recommendations and while it was initially decided to allow vehicles under 3.5 tons to travel, finally it bannes all vehicular traffic across the bridge.

“The Regional Authority, always concerned for the safety of its citizens, is taking all the necessary actions within its responsibilities, following the instructions of expert scientists and its competent services. With these criteria, it was also decided to ban traffic on the Servia High Bridge, from the evening of March 16. We are all working non-stop for the least possible trouble for our fellow citizens and the mitigation of the economic consequences for the region” states the announcement of the Region of Western Macedonia.

Project supervisor warns of great danger

Asked to comment on the initial decision to allow traffic of vehicles under 3.5 tons on the Servia bridge, Athanasios Vouras, Head of Transportation Projects – Supervising Engineer of the Bridge, emphasized in high tones that he did not agree at all and even warned: “I as project supervisor say that the workers are in great danger.”

“Legislators think it will be good to restrict traffic even more, but there are also many others who do not want to back down from taking this big leap. They don’t want to miss a month, they think they will be ruined if the operating costs go up, and some people have to lose sleep over it. I would prefer to close it so that I can sleep peacefully and so that the rest of us can sleep peacefully as well. Most of those who cross the bridge do not respect traffic regulations. As a project supervisor, I say that the workers are in great danger,” says Mr. Vouras characteristically.

The complaint that brought the prosecutor’s intervention

Athanasios Vouras was the one who revealed that in the 50 years that the Bridge has been in operation, no maintenance work has been done.

“The only maintenance, if we can call it that way, was the change of the asphalt tarmac that took place a few years ago and the closing of the joints that existed between the sections of the bridge” explained Athanasios Vouras speaking to public broadcaster ERT.

Because each project is a different case, there is no single regulation that defines the intervals at which an inspection must be carried out, Mr. Vouras explained, however he emphasized that inspections and maintenance must be carried out at regular intervals, which can be as long as two years , three years. “In other words, there may be minor damage, which can be repaired immediately and quickly and without anyone realizing it”, he added, stressing that “50 years is a long time”.

Maintenance needed due to heavy weather

Regarding the specific bridge, Mr. Vouras clarified that it generally needs maintenance due to the bad weather.

“This study as well as the project is a very big project, which has already been launched and we are currently waiting for funding from the ministry to start the maintenance study” pointed out Mr. Vouras.

He then added that “until this whole process is done, we have proceeded with some cursory checks, that is, we inspected the bridge visually to see if we could see anything and it was established two years ago that there was a crack which we considered in principle as needing immediate treatment, in addition to the general bridge maintenance. So last year we did two fast track studies to identify the problem exactly. This year we started to repair that section, which found the crack that in the process and based on what we had to do, we found that there was a problem with two of the bridge spans.”

“So that means we’re revising the project, meaning we’re going to modify the way we fix it at this point I think quickly, we’re going to be within schedule, which is 1-2 months to finish, weather permitting and by then, precisely because we want to be in favor of safety, we took the decision to divert heavy vehicle traffic to other roads. I know it creates a problem in people’s daily lives, but it is safer”, said Mr. Vouras.

Prosecutorial intervention for the Servia bridge

The implementation of an urgent preliminary examination on the safety of using the Servia bridge and on a number of other issues related to the problems that are being created, the Kozani First Instance Prosecutor’s Office ordered.

The Kozani District Attorney’s Office requests that the following be investigated:

If the measures taken after the recent detection of cracks in the spans of the High Bridge of Servia ensure safe conditions of use of the bridge even for vehicles under 3.5 tons.

If, due to the restrictions on the use of the bridge, the safe movement of heavy vehicles (over 3.5 tons) is ensured by alternative routes, especially in cases where these vehicles pass through residential areas, and what actions have been taken to date to resolve the issue problem of safe traffic on the Serbian Bridge and what are the reasons for the delay in solving the problem.

In the event that there is even the slightest possibility of the bridge collapsing, the Public Prosecutor’s Office requests a total ban on traffic, until it is ensured that its use poses absolutely no risk.