Why does Mayor Terziev want people to pay vignettes to use SOP and SST and deliberately Is the project for the construction of the road connection from the Pavlovo quarter to the road junction “Bankya“ stopped? They ask from the European Center for Transport Policy (ECTP).
The facility was built according to morally outdated standards and is currently inadequate, both from the point of view of vertical loads /motor vehicles, the own weight of the structure, sidewalks, railings, etc./, and in terms of modern achievements in the field of seismic insurance.
In addition to the above, it is evident from the condition of the damaged pillar that elements of the bridge have exhausted their load-bearing capacity, which represents the greatest danger. This puts the facility in a so-called emergency state. No one can guarantee that the bridge will not fall under its own weight, on the contrary, it is absolutely certain that a major accident with the potential for many casualties will follow in a seismic event /earthquake/.
First of all, the safety of citizens passing under the road structure must be guaranteed, one of the options being the construction of a temporary scaffolding to “support“ the facility, taking into account all relevant factors, including ground base, method of foundation, sagging and loading of the structure, etc.
Under the pressure of public interest, the Metropolitan Municipality took measures to stop traffic on and under the facility. However, following threats of protests a few days ago by citizens, the construction of scaffolding has begun, the function of which remains unclear. It is difficult to say at whose expense the scaffolding is being built, as well as who is building it. And also does this mean that the repair has started and at whose expense? Was there a procedure and who won it, at what cost? Remarkably, when the impending protest became known, the dangerous site was finally surrounded by thick fences, which in itself raises questions about the previous lack of adequate protection measures.
There are three main issues that need clarity:
1. When the Metropolitan Municipality closed the bridge facility, on what grounds did it take this action, if we assume that the statements of Mayor Terziev are true and the road connection is owned by the “Road Infrastructure” (API)?
2. If the bridge is owned by API, why does the Metropolitan Municipality commission and pay for the survey?
3. If the road connection is owned by API, then why in 2018 did the Sofia Municipality pay for the repair of the bridge?
Another important issue is related to the desire of the mayor of Sofia to cancel the contract for joint maintenance of roads from the republican road network (RPM) passing in front of the city of Sofia. Such a step will lead to the potential burdening of the residents of Sofia and surrounding settlements with additional fees for vignettes. Why and do the residents of settlements such as Bozhurishte, Ivanyane, Mramor, Lokorsko, Lozen and others agree to pay vignettes to get to Sofia?
One more issue is on the agenda. If it is true that Terziev wants a review of the contracts for the joint maintenance of sections of the RPM passing through the urbanized territory of Sofia, is this why he is deliberately stopping the construction of the last section of the SOP between the “Pavlovo” and AM “Struma“? And maybe it is not about the convenience of the citizens, but about the personal or even financial interest of certain circles?
The four-month inaction on the part of the Metropolitan Municipality causes serious concern. In the same time, according to many experts, the bridge could have been completely reconstructed or even built anew. There are concerns that a delay is being sought to create a condition for the collapse of the facility in order to multiply the cost of repairs. There are many questions, but the situation is unprecedented and reflects the poor and incompetent management of infrastructure projects in the capital.