Consolidation work on the Grant Bridge is on schedule and the March deadline set a month ago to reopen the bridge will be met, Mayor Nikushor Dan said Monday during a visit to the construction site. . This does not mean that the bridge strengthening works will be fully completed in March, but only those that affect traffic and tram movement. It is about works on the tram line and the main traffic lanes from Crângaşi to Turda. The rest, according to the contract, should be completed in the spring of 2025. Representatives of the city hall also explained why the work was not carried out in the summer, when there was less traffic.

We remind you that the closure of the bridge from Crangaşi to Turda has paralyzed traffic in the area.

• “We came to see how the works are going. The builder kept his word, what he had to do in these two weeks, removed the layer of asphalt and waterproofing over the bridge. On the side of the tram track, about half of the bridge, the carriageway was removed, it will be finished in about a week. We were informed that the fact of the absence of a concrete structure under waterproofing was not included in the technical documentation of the bridge and in the examination.
• The builder found an improvisation, a cement layer of about 5 cm is not enough to bond with the waterproofing. So it’s a few days of extra work to remove that film and pour a new layer.
• On the top side you saw that the side beams are very damaged and many of them need to be replaced, also due to the lack of waterproofing. On the underside of the bridge, I saw one damaged beam out of about 50 that hold the bridge up. In general, we stand by what we said, we want to complete the work on the upper part in March and allow traffic on the bridge,” said Nikushor Dan.

As for the nightmarish traffic in the area, representatives of the capital’s mayor’s office said there was nothing more they could do to improve it.

“We started two weeks ago, not all participants knew about the work, we were unlucky that it rained. That day we had a long meeting with the traffic police, the local police, then we made a decision to redirect part of the traffic through the intersection, change the traffic lights, and from the next day the traffic was a little better. And people found out and took detours. On some streets, I also took from parked cars. It’s not perfect now, but it’s a lot better than when we started. And, as you saw, this work was necessary,” Nikushor Dan explained.

Representatives of the developer also reported that they work in two shifts on the construction site: from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., the first shift, and from 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., the second shift.

I ask why they did not start work on strengthening the bridge in the summer, when there was little traffic, the representatives of the municipality say that it was impossible because of the traffic of trains.

“Since May, there have been meetings with the CFR, in which the developer also took part. We at the CFR were advised to carry out these works after September 15, when the trains to the sea will stop. And at the moment we intervene only at night, in certain time intervals. At that time, if there was an intervention, the work was carried out only two hours a night,” explained the director of the street administration, Marian Barhau. Since the bridge is over the railway, it is impossible to work on the section under the bridge, where there are tensioned lines, which affects the movement of trains, he explained.

Since October 13, traffic has been closed on Granta Bridge in the direction from Calea Crângași to St. Turda Tram 41 runs alternately, on one wire, along the length of the bridge, the rest of the route is not affected by the works.

In August, the capital city hall resumed work on strengthening the Grant bridge after a 3-year break. The completion period is 24 months, and the investment is 65 million lei.

Work on strengthening the Grant Bridge began in April 2019 and was stopped a year later by about 30% due to the difficult financial situation of the municipality. At that time, they were carried out by the KP “Bridges and Passes”, and after its suspension, a tender was held for the appointment of a new developer.

“In 2020, the Streets, Bridges and Passages CP did not continue work on the bridge, they amounted to 33%, but since they were not protected, an examination was needed, this percentage decreased, we are forced to intervene. on the parts that were worked on,” explained the representatives of the municipality during the opening of the construction site.