Authorities carry out regular checks on condition of bridges in Moldova

Chisinau, 17 August /MOLDPRES/ – The State Road Administration (ASD) carries out annual inspections to examine condition of the bridges of Moldova. The checks are also done by necessity, in case of natural disasters or other exceptional situations, which may affect the state of bridges or reduce carrying capacity of bridges.

Thus, as a result of verifications carried out by territorial subdivisions of ASD, the decision is made on places where it is needed intervention of specialists. If necessary, they do maintenance or rehabilitation work.

The periodic maintenance works financed from the road fund (FR) are executed permanently during the year, depending on defects and degradations found during periodical examinations.

Head of Bridge Service of ASD Road Maintenance Division, Sergiu Galusca, told agency that they have been currently in process of evaluating or drafting implementation projects to remedy the defects or degradations found at 32 bridges, prioritised and proposed for inclusion into capital repair programme for upcoming years.

According to ASD's data, capital repair works financed from the road fund at eight bridges in Moldova are currently underway.

Also, out of external financing sources, there are almost 85 bridges in process of capital repair or at stage of starting works. The duration of works is multiannual, depending upon complexity and length of contracted routes.

The ASD's data show that there are 851 bridges in Moldova, with a total length of over 20 km. Out of these, around 400 bridges are on Republican roads, 375 – on regional roads and 81 on highways.

A road bridge in Italy collapsed on 14 August, causing deaths of at least 38 persons, including a Moldovan. Another citizen of Moldova was injured as a result of tragedy.

(Reporter N. Sandu, editor A. Raileanu)