site.btaEmergency Pavement Repairs to Danube Bridge at Ruse Completed, Traffic Restrictions Lifted

The emergency pavement repairs to the Danube Bridge between Ruse and Giurgiu have finished. Traffic has been restored and restrictions lifted, the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) said on Friday.

The repairs began on June 11 with the introduction of a temporary traffic arrangement.

RIA said that the contractor had completed the planned works ahead of schedule so as not to disrupt traffic.

The repairs were necessary to ensure safe travel across the bridge, RIA said. The Agency noted that an overhaul of the bridge is scheduled to begin in July, adding that traffic flow will not be stopped and will be controlled by traffic lights. Repair works will be carried out daily for 10-12 hours a day. The work process will be organized and carried out in phases so that vehicles pass in a two-way direction in the lane where no construction work is taking place.

No major repairs have been carried out since the facility was commissioned 70 years ago. Joint strengthening was done more than 22 years ago, and the waterproofing and asphalt pavement were replaced in 2011.

The technical design for the renovation of the facility provides for the complete replacement of the asphalt pavement, panels, waterproofing, new restraint systems, signage, etc. The contractor for the major repairs worth some BGN 44.9 million is the Danube Bridge Public Limited Liability Company. The contract period for the repair works is 730 days, RIA added.