Vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes will no longer be able to pass through Piața Unirii, Sector 4 City Hall announced on Thursday. The decision comes a day after traffic was restricted in several areas due to reports of subsidence in the road above the passage. and above the floor of the Union.

The City Hall of Sector 4 reported in a press release that within the framework of the Technical Road Commission of the Capital City Hall, it received an in-principle consent to limit the passage of vehicles with a maximum permissible weight of more than 3.5 tons in the Union Square District.

Thus, after the approval of the Systematization Plan and after the installation of the signs (after a maximum of 60 days), the passage of vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tons will be prohibited on Piata Unirii.

“At the same time, we assure road users that the team of specialists of Sector 4 of the Bucharest Municipality will responsibly and constantly make every effort to increase the level of safety during the operation of these infrastructure works,” the mayor’s office said. led by Daniel Beluce also passed (PSD).

Subsidence of the road over the overpass and over the Union overpass

The day before, the city hall of the sector announced that the traffic in the area of ​​Union Square is restricted at the intersection between Halelor street and Splaiul Independencei, as well as at the intersection of Corneliu Koposu and IC Brătianu boulevards, after the subsidence of the road system. reported

At the moment, traffic in the area of ​​Pieța Unirii is restricted for all categories of vehicles, on lane No. 1, from Corneliu Koposu boulevard to IC Brătianu boulevard, at a distance of 20-25 meters, as well as on av. number 3, that is, go from Halelor-Splaiul Independentiei Street to Mitropolie.

“The event was implemented by signaling with beacons in emergency mode after the subsidence of the road system above Uniriyu floor and Uniriyu passage was detected after the departures of specialists in the above-mentioned areas,” – said district 4 of the Town Hall.

The decision also took into account the technical examination of the floor of the association and the roadway conducted in November, which also indicates that “the technical condition is inadequate.”

As reported in the city hall, the technical and economic feasibility study of the reinforcement/repair of the floor of Unirii, correspondingly, the closure of the road passage of Unirii has been completed. After a maximum of 30 days, these works will be included in the public tender procedure, so that the actual start time of implementation will be in the second half of 2024, as originally predicted.

The rehabilitation of the Unirii passage cost 12 million euros

Traffic through Pasaj Unirii was reopened in September 2022 after being closed for two months for work to ensure the safety of the passage. The works were carried out by the City Hall of Sector 4 and cost 12 million euros.

To increase visibility in the tunnel, 498 lamps and LED strips were installed on a 4-kilometer section. At the same time, 30 lighting poles and 150 searchlights (on the ramp) were installed on the surface, so that the lighting in the passage became a safety reference for drivers.

A series of accidents after the opening of the Union Pass

Since the re-opening of Pasaj Unirii in early September, six large vehicles have been stuck either in the track gate or in the road tunnel.

In the first two days after the inauguration, two buses got stuck at the sign in front of the entrance to the Unirii Passage, which shows and checks the maximum height allowed.

On September 8, Pasajul Unirii, recently renovated by the Sector 4 City Hall, was blocked by a truck that ran over a height limiter. Then, on September 21, a truck got stuck on Pasajul Unirii in Bucharest because the driver ignored the height limiter and was forced to go through a tunnel, causing damage to the ceiling.

On December 23, one person was killed and 21 others were injured after a bus carrying around 50 Greek tourists hit a height barrier on Passaj Unirii in the capital.

In November, the Sector 4 City Hall installed new signage at the entrance to Pasajul Unirii, recently renovated, to alert drivers not to exceed the maximum permitted height of 3.5 meters. The measure comes after several buses have been stuck since the opening because they did not adhere to the height restriction.

The new limiters are equipped with pointers indicating that the maximum permissible height has been passed, and the cross bar of the new gate is equipped with a number of warning elements in the form of a “metal curtain”.