A bridge over the Struma River, which connects 7 villages, is collapsing, BNT reported.
This could trap people, because the bypass route is 10 km and is beyond the capabilities of people without cars. The bridge connects the village of Mursalevo and the main road E-79 with the villages on the right bank of the Struma River. The passage of vehicles and pedestrians over it is risky. And if the bridge collapses, people will have to detour for 10 kilometers to reach the settlements.
The bridge after Mursalevo is clearly not in good condition. According to the people of the village, the supports have been undermined, which makes it unstable and in case of heavy rains, part of it could collapse.
"If you look at it from below, it has already been undermined, and from above you can see its terrible condition. Holes, no safety, the fence will fall at any moment, people simply cannot pass to the side, they pass on the road", says Emilian.
Even on foot, the bridge is risky. The fences are broken and on the verge of collapse. In places, shafts without bars gape.
"The embankments are gone. There are signs for pedestrian paths, but they are missing almost two meters from the fence and a mother with a child might be walking by and the child might be gone at some point. This bridge needs to be built urgently", commented Yuri Kovachev, mayor of the village of Mursalevo.
Due to the condition of the bridge, the movement of trucks over 10 tons is prohibited, but the more inventive drivers have erased the signs.
"They spray paint the sign so that it is not visible. Possibly, if the police stop them, they should say "there is no sign here", the mayor explained.
Buses to the villages rarely pass, and besides, residents have to go to the village of Mursalevo to get on them.
"I have to go around Boboshevo 10 kilometers from here, extending the distance by at least 15 kilometers, to get to work," says Emilian.
The bridge and the road are managed by the Kocherinovo municipality. They said that they had conducted an inspection, which showed that the bridge supports were not undermined and, according to them, it is not dangerous. As often happens - there is a ready project, but there is no funding. Until a solution is found, the residents of seven villages will be responsible for themselves.